A key text for sentencers and practitioners in local magistrates' courts of the UK produced in association with various key bodies in that field: readable and accessible, a good introduction to UK sentencing law and practice at the level of the justices of the peace.

Covers many types of public order and personal dispute situations such as industrial strikes, neighbourhood disputes, investigative reporters and bullying at work. Includes a copy of the Act.

How do judges sentence? This question is frequently asked but infrequently explored. What factors are taken into account? How do judges see their role? How do they apply the aims and purposes of sentencing? How are factors such as public opinion taken into account? How Judges Sentence explores these questions through interviews with Queensland judges. The judges explain how they come to their decisions when sentencing, how they view judicial discretion, and how they exercise it. The book carefully examines their comments within the legislative and theoretical contexts of sentencing. The analysis yields valuable insights into judicial methodologies, perceptions, and attitudes towards the sentencing process. How Judges Sentence provides a major contribution to debates on sentencing.

Providing unrivalled coverage of one of the most high-profile stages in the criminal justice process, this book examines the key issues in sentencing policy and practice. It provides an up-to-date account of the legislation on sentencing together with the ever-increasing amount of Court of Appeal case law. The law in relation to elements of the wider criminal justice system is examined, including the prison and probation services. The aim of the book is to examine English sentencing law in its context, drawing not only upon legislation and the decisions of the courts but also upon the findings of research and on theoretical justifications for punishment. This new edition has been extensively revised to integrate the new laws introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which has brought sweeping reforms into English sentencing.

This is the first major study to examine whether race is a factor influencing the sentences imposed in the Crown Courts in England. Based on a large sample of cases, it reveals a complex and disturbing pattern of racial differences in the resort to custody, the lengths of sentences, and the choice of alternative punishments. The findings provide a challenge for considering how to eliminate the racial factor from sentencing practices.