Earlier this year, the Sentencing Guidelines Council sought views on a proposed forward work plan for 2007/08. It very much appreciated the helpful responses that it received.
Having considered those responses and other relevant issues, the Council has identified the topics that it expects to consider over the next two years. These include the review of existing Council guidelines and the development of new guidelines in respect of both specific offences (or groups of offences) and issues of a more general nature.
There are a substantial number of topics on the current work programme in respect of which work will be continuing for the next 12 to 18 months. These are set out in the attached table which also shows the stage that has been reached.
The Council has agreed the following new topics for inclusion on the forward work plan:
Review of definitive Council guidelines
The Council has decided to review the following guidelines as a matter of priority in the light of experience since relevant provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 were implemented in April 2005:
The review will also enable consideration to be given to a number of general issues, some of which had been identified on previous work programmes, including the relevance of aggravating and mitigating factors and personal mitigation, the relevance of offences taken into consideration (TICs), the relevance of victims’ views and restorative justice, and issues concerning the sentencing of women offenders.
Development of new guidelines
The Council has agreed that benefits would be gained from developing guidelines in respect of the following and expects that work will be commenced in 2007/08:
In addition, the Council agreed that work in respect of the following should commence when time allows:
Topics to be kept under review
The Council has agreed that these topics will be kept under review for possible inclusion on the work programme subject to legislative and other developments:
Topics for consideration when the work programme is next reviewed
The following topics have been suggested to the Council as ones that may benefit from the development of guidelines. Due to the number of issues that have high priority, it is not possible to include them in the forward work programme for 2007/08. Further consideration will be given to the need for guidance in these areas when the work programme is next reviewed:
Any documents issued by the Council or the Panel in relation to these topics will be made available on the Sentencing Guidelines website at www.sentencing-guidelines.gov.uk. Should you have any queries or wish to discuss any elements of the programme, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kevin McCormac
Head of Secretariat
