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New UK sentencing structure attacked for giving judges too much discretion

By Douglas A. Berman

The title of this new piece in The Guardian caught my eye because I thought the federal sentencing system was being discussed under the headline "Judges given free rein by 'pitifully loose' sentencing law."  But, as this excerpt shows, the article concerns new UK sentencing law: New legislation guiding judges on sentencing criminals is so "pitifully loose" that judgments could become idiosyncratic and inconsistent, according to the head of the Sentencing Advisory Panel. Professor Andrew Ashworth struck out at the government on the eve of the panel's replacement today by a new body, the Sentencing Council. In an interview with the Guardian, Ashworth called the new council "defective". He said the legislation dictating its powers and responsibilities "dilutes and even trivialises the proper approach" to the rule of English law...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on April 06, 2010 (boomark / email).