Sentencing in England and Wales

The briefing summarises the key facts and issues around various sentencing types, considers the impact this has on the work of the voluntary sector in criminal justice, and provides an update on recent policy developments. In it, we outline three key asks for sentencing reform made by campaigners and voluntary sector organisations and explore the evidence and arguments for these. The aim is to equip the voluntary sector with the relevant information that will enable them to engage in current debates and future policy in this area. In particular, the briefing will highlight where sentencing policy has an unequal or disproportionate effect on particular groups of people that the voluntary sector works to support.

This briefing was updated in February 2020 to include specific insight on sentencing in Wales using data from the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University. This includes key facts and issues about the sentencing of women in Wales.