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Sentencing Council defends changes after 'two-tier' row

The Sentencing Council defended new guidance on sentencing offenders from ethnic minorities, which Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood criticized, citing concerns over a two-tier justice system.
Lord Justice William Davis stated that changes were made to the guidance over three years to correct disparities in sentencing, noting evidence that ethnic minorities often receive longer sentences.
Mahmood argued that equality before the law is essential, emphasizing the need for judicial oversight in sentencing.
The guidance expands the use of pre-sentence reports to include offenders from ethnic minorities, aiming to reduce disparities in sentencing outcomes.

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New Statesman

Left

Robert Jenrick’s false “two-tier justice” narrative

It was only a few years ago that a British justice secretary proudly stood up in parliament and pledged to “address racial disparity in our justice system”. He was even specific about the tools that could be used to achieve this aim, stating that the government aimed “to improve the way in which pre-sentence reports are prepared, in order to eliminate bias”. It was the summer of 2020, and these were the words of Tory minister Robert Buckland, de…

27 days ago

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The Telegraph

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‘Two-tier’ sentencing rules may be discriminatory, says watchdog

Special treatment for criminals from ethnic, religious and gender minorities may mean unfair justice for white males, it is claimed

27 days ago·London, United Kingdom

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Spiked

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The sentencing row reveals the woke turn of the judiciary

The unelected judges on the Sentencing Council are trying to use the law for expressly political ends.

27 days ago·London, United Kingdom

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GB News

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Politicians should make decisions not unelected judges, says Jacob Rees-Mogg

Who governs the United Kingdom? Is it politicians who are democratically accountable, or is it judges who have no means of being scrutinised? You may remember that the Sentencing Council issued guidelines that would effectively lead to two-tier justice, with ethnic minorities and women receiving reduced sentences via pre-sentencing reports

28 days ago·London, United Kingdom

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The Conversation

Center

New sentencing guidelines will make the UK’s justice system more fair, not less – expert view

The justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, speaks in July 2024 on prison overcrowding. House of Commons / Flickr, CC BY-NDIn echoes of last summer’s riots, the government is again being accused of enabling a “two-tier” justice system in the UK. The current row is over new guidance published by the Sentencing Council, the independent public body that advises judges and magistrates on sentencing. The guidance, effective from April 1, broadens the cat…

28 days ago

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