New sentencing laws take effect next week. Judges and magistrates in England and Wales will be able to suspend sentences of up to three years. And courts will have to suspend sentences of not more than 12 months unless there are “exceptional circumstances”.
Because very short sentences are generally thought to be counter-productive, supporters of the reforms say we should all be safer as a result. And, at least to begin with, the prison population should begin to come down. But Andrea Coomber KC (hon), chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform (pictured), told me there were provisions in the Sentencing Act 2026 that may endanger the very people they are intended to protect. And Baroness Carr, the lady chief justice, made it clear that other provisions in the legislation could be used to undermine the important role played by sentencing guidelines.
You can read about Carr’s concerns in my column for this week’s Law Society Gazette.
And you can hear Coomber’s criticisms in the latest episode of A Lawyer Talks. My weekly podcast is a bonus for paying subscribers to A Lawyer Writes. Everyone else can hear a short taster by clicking the ► symbol on the graphic at the top of this page.
