Sentencing Council Annual Report 2020/21

The Sentencing Council has published its Annual Report for 2020/21 (external link, opens in a new tab).

It is the Council’s 11th annual report and Lord Justice Holroyde’s third as Chairman.

The report documents the Council’s work between 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021, which includes:

• Publishing four sets of definitive guidelines, all of which have come into effect:
  – Overarching principles for sentencing offenders with mental disorders, developmental disorders or neurological impairments
  – Revisions to the Magistrates’ Courtss sentencing guidelines and allied explanatory materials
  – Firearms offences; and
  – Drug offences.
• Holding consultations on guidelines for sentencing:
  – Assault and attempted murder
  – Modern slavery; and
  – Unauthorised use of trademarks.
• Updating all sentencing guidelines and related explanatory materials to reflect the provisions of the Sentencing Code.

The report illustrates how the Council’s research and analysis work feeds into the development of guidelines and includes an article on the Council’s first release of sentencing data from the Magistrates’ Courtss.