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Sentence inflation: a judicial critique

Lords Chief Justice call on the government to reverse sentence inflation

  • Pages: 14

  • Publisher: The Howard League for Penal Reform

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Sentence inflation: a judicial critique (6 Sep 2024) Bibliography

The most senior former judges in England and Wales have called on the government to reverse the trend of imposing ever longer sentences, giving warning that radical solutions are needed to address the acute crisis in prisons.

In a paper published by the Howard League for Penal Reform, they outline how and why prison sentences have increased in recent decades and the impact this has had.

The paper, Sentence inflation: a judicial critique, is signed by the four surviving former Lords Chief Justice of England and Wales – Lord Woolf, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, and Lord Burnett of Maldon – and Sir Brian Leveson, the only surviving President of the Queen’s Bench Division who was also Head of Criminal Justice.

Addressing challenges around sentencing is one of the Howard League’s strategic priorities. Our strategic priorities reflect those issues that we consider most urgent and important in ending the overuse of prison.

Catch up on our Spotlights webinar Sentence Inflation below.


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