Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will hold discussion with the Sentencing Council on the potential merits of making it more likely that perpetrators of retail crime receive custodial sentences.

The independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales has a statutory duty to develop sentencing guidelines and monitor their use. These guidelines provide the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. They set out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how blameworthy the offender is.

As an independent body, the Sentencing Council decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing and reviewing guidelines. Therefore, the Government cannot require the Council to review particular guidelines. It is open of course to individuals to approach the Council to ask that they do so, and I would encourage you to share your concerns with them. The Council’s published criteria for developing or revising guidelines is available on its website at: https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/sentencing-and-the-council/about-the-sentencing-council/our-criteria-for-developing-or-revising-guidelines/.

The Ministry of Justice regularly monitors the effectiveness of the sentencing framework.