Sentencing Council issues imposition guideline update

The revised version, which comes into effect on 1 April, places greater emphasis on the role of pre-sentence reports (PSRs) and provides more detail on when courts should request these. PSRs are compiled by the Probation Service and include information about the offender and the circumstances in which the crime was committed.

The revised guidance includes a section on the effectiveness of sentencing, advising that rehabilitative sentences may reduce reoffending more effectively than short custodial sentences. It sets out guidance on new evidence to consider when sentencing young adults, women, mothers and pregnant and post-natal offenders.

Lord Justice William Davis, chairman of the Sentencing Council, said: ‘The revised Imposition guideline updates and extends the current guidance and puts before the courts research and evidence to inform their sentencing decisions.’