At the Sentencing Academy, we promote an evidence-based approach to sentencing and encourages effective sentencing practices that reduce re-offending, provide justice to victims, and promote public confidence. 

The need for evidence-based sentencing has never been more urgent. With prisons close to capacity, courts managing backlogs of more than 400,000 cases, and the new Sentencing Bill going through Parliament, it is critical for us to understand what works in sentencing – and what doesn’t. 

That is why we created the Sentencing Hub – a new online resource designed to make information on sentencing in England & Wales clear, accessible, and evidence-based. Our vision is that the Hub will equip sentencers, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, journalists, and members of the public with the best available data and evidence on sentencing, informing both effective sentencing practice and public debate. 

The Problem: We need better information about sentencing 

Sentencing is one of the most consequential decisions within the justice system. It affects individual liberty, rehabilitation, reoffending, victim safety, community confidence, and the long-term sustainability of the justice system. Yet, reliable and accessible sentencing information remains surprisingly limited. 

Much of the data that does exist, particularly through the Ministry of Justice’s Criminal Justice Statistics, is technically publicly available, but can be fragmented, difficult to locate, and challenging to interpret without specialist knowledge. Important indicators such as sentencing trends by offence type or demographic are available, but contextual information on aggravating and mitigating factors, pre-sentence reports, or the role of guilty pleas remains sparse. 

The absence of accessible, contextualised, and synthesised information makes it difficult for practitioners and the public alike to understand how sentencing works in practice. But this information is essential to reveal potential sentencing disparities, determine which sentencing practices are effective at reducing reoffending and improving rehabilitation outcomes, and ensure that sentencing proposals are proportionate, realistic, and sustainable. 

Our Solution: The Sentencing Hub 

Recognising these challenges, the Sentencing Academy has developed the Sentencing Hub. The Hub brings together useful information, research findings, and statistics relating to sentencing, and is designed with the needs of different users in mind. 

The Hub includes: 

• Sentencing Explainers, which explain the meaning of particular terms used in sentencing, such as “deferred sentences” or “ancillary orders”
• Offence Snapshots, which present sentencing trends and outcomes for specific offences – including demographic information – such as for speeding, or possession of a knife
• Key Facts infographics, which present graphs and figures on current sentencing issues, such as suspended sentence orders, or the sentencing of young adults
• Effectiveness Bulletins, which review data on the effectiveness of specific sentences and orders, such as short prison sentences (custodial sentences of 12 months or less), or electronic monitoring
• Public Perception reports, which present research on public opinion on and knowledge of sentencing, including the views of children
• In-depth Research & Policy Papers that examine various sentencing issues, such as victim personal statements, or ethnicity and custodial sentencing
• Answers to the most frequently asked sentencing questions, such as the difference between Suspended Sentence Orders and deferred sentences, or whether sentencing is becoming softer. 

Importantly, the Hub is user-driven. It will evolve through feedback from practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to ensure that the most relevant and pressing questions are addressed. 

What you can do 

In a justice system that increasingly demands transparency and accountability, accessible evidence-based sentencing information is essential. The Sentencing Hub represents a step toward bridging the gap between the availability of sentencing data and our understanding of how sentencing actually works in practice. 

To explore or support the Hub, you can: 

• visit the Hub and engage with its content
• leave us feedback
• tell us what else you would like to see on the Hub
• let us know how you are using the resource in your work
• request a Hub-workshop for your organisation 

We are continuously adding new material – such as our latest infographic on Community Orders – and we welcome engagement from anyone with an interest in sentencing practice, policy, or public understanding.