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Government is 'running scared' over sentencing
Western Daily Press
|May 10, 2025
THE Government has been accused by the Bishop of Gloucester of “running scared of rather nasty right-wingers” over plans to block new sentencing guidelines.
New guidance from the independent Sentencing Council would have recommended a pre-sentence report (PSR) be sought before sentencing offenders from ethnic, cultural or faith minorities.
Pre-sentence reports provide information about the offender's background, circumstances of their offence, the risk they pose and suitability for certain types of sentence.
The use of these reports has been linked to higher rate of community, rather than prison sentences.
The Government brought forward the Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill to block the new guidelines, arguing that it would lead to a differential treatment under the law and a “two-tier” justice system.
The implementation of the updated rulebook has been put on hold to allow Parliament to consider this legislation.
This story is from the May 10, 2025 edition of Western Daily Press.
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