Guideline history
Statutory guidelines
Under section 120 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 the Sentencing Council must prepare two specific guidelines, both of which it has now published:
- the discharge of a court's duty under section 144 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (c.44) (reduction in sentences for guilty pleas); and
- the application of any rule of law as to the totality of sentences.
Other sentencing guidelines
Section 120(4) of the Act provides that the Council may prepare sentencing guidelines about any other matter.
The majority of the guidelines are offence specific. They cover some of the most serious and most frequently dealt with offences, including attempted murder, assault, robbery and sexual offences. They also cover some offences that are rarely sentenced and where the courts might need most assistance. Where no offence specific guideline exists, sentencers will follow the General guideline.
The Council also produces overarching guidelines that provide sentencers with principles for sentencing in specific circumstances, such as sentencing children and young people or sentencing offenders with mental disorders. These overarching guidelines apply across all offences.
The Council gives priority to guidelines that will fulfil its overarching aim to promote a clear, fair and consistent approach to sentencing, and considers a number of factors when deciding which guidelines to develop.
In this section
- Allocation and offences taken into consideration
- Animal cruelty
- Arson and criminal damage
- Assault
- Blackmail
- Bladed articles and offensive weapons
- Breach offences
- Burglary offences
- Child cruelty
- Children and young people
- Dangerous dog offences
- Domestic abuse
- Drug offences
- Environmental offences
- Firearms offences
- Fraud, bribery and money laundering offences
- General guideline and expanded explanations in sentencing guidelines
- Guilty pleas
- Health and safety offences, corporate manslaughter and food safety and hygiene offences
- Imposition of community and custodial sentences
- Intimidatory offences
- Kidnap/false imprisonment
- Magistrates' Court Sentencing Guidelines
- Manslaughter
- Miscellaneous amendments to sentencing guidelines
- Modern slavery
- Motoring offences
- Offenders with mental disorders, developmental disorders or neurological impairments
- Perverting the course of justice
- Public order offences
- Robbery
- Sale of knives etc to persons under 18
- Sexual offences
- Terrorism offences
- Theft offences
- Totality
- Unauthorised use of a trade mark
- Witness intimidation