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Desistance and Sentencing: A Review of Research
By Dr Annie Bunce • Desistance is the cessation of offending by those with previous patterns of criminal behaviour. Desistance is a...
Sentencing Academy
Apr 26, 20232 min read


Fines: A review of the sanction, its use and operation, and research evidence
By Dr Jay Gormley • Criminal fines are the most common criminal sanction and account for about 75% of principal sanctions issued by...
Sentencing Academy
Nov 1, 20222 min read

Sentencing Historic Offenders: September 2022
By Dr Gabrielle Watson This paper reviews approaches to the sentencing of non-recent or ‘historic’ offenders in England and Wales. These...
Sentencing Academy
Sep 27, 20222 min read

Deferred Sentencing: August 2022
By Dr Elaine Freer • Deferred sentences are available to any judge or bench of magistrates sentencing a defendant in the magistrates’...
Sentencing Academy
Aug 4, 20222 min read

Mental Disorder, Disability and Sentencing: June 2022
By Dr Ailbhe O'Loughlin • This paper addresses sentencing practices and policies in respect of convicted offenders with mental disorders,...
Sentencing Academy
Jun 22, 20222 min read

Pre-Sentence Reports: April 2022
By Dr Gwen Robinson • In order for courts to craft and impose appropriate and effective sentences, sentencers need an adequate amount of...
Sentencing Academy
Apr 20, 20222 min read

Intoxication and Sentencing: January 2022
By Dr Carly Lightowlers • Intoxication resulting from substance use commonly features as a contributory factor in offending and thus in...
Sentencing Academy
Jan 17, 20222 min read

Respect and Legitimacy at Sentencing: November 2021
By Dr Gabrielle Watson This paper offers a rare joint discussion of respect and legitimacy at sentencing in England and Wales. A review...
Sentencing Academy
Nov 29, 20212 min read

Defendants' Understanding of Sentencing: November 2021
By Jessica Goldring • Underpinning the sentencing framework is an assumption that defendants understand sentencing practice and will...
Sentencing Academy
Nov 26, 20212 min read

The Suspended Sentence Order in England and Wales: September 2021
By Eleanor Curzon and Julian V. Roberts • The Suspended Sentence Order (SSO) is a custodial sentence option available to magistrates and...
Sentencing Academy
Sep 28, 20212 min read

Ethnicity and Custodial Sentencing: June 2021
By Julian V. Roberts and Jonathan Bild • Over the past 30 years a number of official reports have demonstrated differences in overall...
Sentencing Academy
Jun 24, 20212 min read

Community Orders: March 2021
By Dr Eoin Guilfoyle • The Community Order (CO) is one of the non-custodial sentencing options available to magistrates and judges in...
Sentencing Academy
Mar 30, 20212 min read

Out of Court Disposals: February 2021
By Cerys Gibson • Out of court disposals (OOCDs) have long been viewed by advocates to be an efficient and effective response to criminal...
Sentencing Academy
Feb 4, 20212 min read

The Effectiveness of Sentencing Options: January 2021
By Melissa Hamilton • Reducing re-offending is one of five key sentencing objectives in England and Wales. Courts employ a range of...
Sentencing Academy
Jan 6, 20212 min read

Sentence Reductions for Guilty Pleas: December 2020
By Jay Gormley, Julian V. Roberts, Jonathan Bild and Lyndon Harris • Most convictions in England and Wales in the Crown Court and the...
Sentencing Academy
Dec 15, 20203 min read

Victim Personal Statements and Sentencing: November 2020
By Elspeth Windsor and Julian V. Roberts • The role of the victim at sentencing is one of the most active areas of policy and research in...
Sentencing Academy
Nov 23, 20203 min read
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