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28 May 2020 / Monica Stevenson
Issue: 7888 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Criminal
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Happy anniversary?

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Monica Stevenson assesses the role of the Sentencing Council, a decade down the line
  • The Sentencing Council’s portfolio: proposed and existing guidelines.
  • Sentencing guidelines: transparency and consistency.
  • The Law Commission’s proposal for a Sentencing Code.

It remains to be seen what the economic fallout from COVID-19 spells for the state of the criminal justice system. Those working in criminal law could not have anticipated the way in which already limited funding might come to be further depleted.

The different elements which work to deliver criminal justice require political attention and money. The crucial assignment of sentencing criminal offenders is no exception. This month marks the ten-year anniversary of the Sentencing Council. A statutory body set up to promote greater transparency and consistency in sentencing decisions, it also has a statutory duty to carry out analysis and research into sentencing.

To mark the first decade of its work, the Council has announced plans to hold a public consultation on ideas for future projects and work. Any such mandate will of course

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

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HFW—Simon Petch

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Freeths—Richard Lockhart

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Infrastructure specialist joins as partner in Glasgow office

NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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