Sentencing Council Strategic Objectives 2027-2030

I am delighted to present proposals for the Sentencing Council’s strategic objectives for 2027 to 2030 for consultation.

Since its inception in 2010 the Council has produced, or revised, guidelines covering the full range of offences commonly seen by the courts of England and Wales. Most judges and magistrates who preside over criminal cases see sentencing guidelines as intrinsic and indispensable to their work. They provide a reliable and consistent framework for the process of sentencing, providing first and foremost for fair, just and predictable outcomes.

Since I started serving on the Council in 2020, and certainly since becoming its chair in October last year, I have seen firsthand how its 14 members do not operate in a vacuum.  All of our work is informed by the many sentencers, legal professionals and experts, and members of the public who take the time to respond to our consultations or approach us to provide feedback. A central benefit of the functions and duties given to the Council by Parliament is that its work is informed by evidence and shaped by a broad range of views. We are indebted, in particular, to all the magistrates and judges, whose time is at a premium, but who respond to our data collection requests and comment on draft guidelines before they are finalised.

As the strategic objectives proposed here make clear, the Council does more than produce sentencing guidelines. It undertakes, commissions and publishes research and statistics on sentencing, and promotes public understanding of sentencing through the information provided on its website, by providing educational materials for use in schools and by working with other organisations, for example the police. The last few years have seen a renewed focus on sentencing by lawmakers and the media, and it is vital that the Council does as much as it can, working with others as necessary, to help the public understand what can be a very complex area of the law. 

On behalf of the Council I would like to thank all individuals and groups who have supported our work by engaging and offering their views over the years. In that vein, I would also like to thank in advance everyone who helps to shape the Council’s work for the coming years by responding to this consultation.