Tag: Sentencing

R v Hobbs and DM [2018] EWCA Crim 1003 The Court of Appeal have ruled that when sentencing an 18 year old for an offence of manslaughter, committed when she was 17, the sentencing court should have had regard to the sentencing guidelines for children and young people as well as to the level of her […]

The Sentencing Code (disposals relating to children and young persons): consultation response by the Howard League for Penal Reform and Just for Kids Law/Youth Justice Legal Centre. The Howard League for Penal Reform and Just for Kids Law / Youth Justice Legal Centre have drafted a joint response to the consultation on the Law Commission’s […]

Law Commission’s sentencing code consultation The Law Commission are consulting on elements of the new Sentencing Code relating to children. Details The Law Commission have been working to produce a Sentencing Code for the last 3 years. It is envisaged that the Code will bring together the different areas of sentencing procedure, in order to […]

Following workshops with 80 children who have been through the criminal courts, the Howard League for Penal Reform have published a toolkit for adults working with or supporting children through the sentencing process.

The Sentencing Council has published a new definitive guideline on Bladed Articles and Offensive Weapons, it comes in to force on 1 June 2018. The document includes a separate guideline for sentencing children and young people.

The Youth Justice Board and the Ministry of Justice have published statistics for children and young people in the criminal justice system in England and Wales for the year ending March 2017.

  Proven Reoffending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, MoJ & National Statistics, January 2016 to March 2016   The latest proven reoffending statistics published by the Ministry of Justice show that reoffending rates for children who are dealt with by way of youth caution at the police station are substantially lower ncluding Triage and Community Resolution. Details Some […]

R v Clarke, Andrews and Thompson [2018] EWCA Crim 185 This case, with judgment given by the Lord Chief Justice,  stresses the continuing importance of maturity when sentencing young adults aged 18 or older. Details The three defendants were convicted of serious offences.  They  kidnapped a boy from his home, kept him tied up in […]

Guest blog by Hannah Couchman, Research and Policy Officer (Youth and Family Courts) at the Magistrates Association on the key changes in the updated version of the Magistrates Association (MA) Youth Court Protocol.

The Ministry of Justice issued non-statutory guidance on the conditions that can be applied when a child is released from a custodial sentence.. The guidance is designed to prevent punitive restrictions following release from custody.

The Lammy Review is an independent report into the treatment of and outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) in the criminal justice system. The Lammy Review highlights the current failings of the youth justice system and makes a number of important recommendations on how best to redress the disproportionate representation of BAME young people in the criminal justice system.