Clear sentences

Make Justice Work in The Times.

“Magistrates need community sentences to enhance public confidence and provide more opportunity to divert people away from custodySir, Lord Justice Leveson (Law, June 3) must be commended on his new approach to creating clear and consistent sentencing guidelines for judges.

Inconsistent sentencing of criminals can have serious economic and social repercussions. Locking up low-level offenders contributes to the overcrowding of our prisons, draws on our already scarce resources and results in them being more likely to reoffend.

Magistrates need accessible and consistent community sentences that will enhance public confidence and provide more opportunity to divert people away from custody where possible. The public, presented with the facts, are often less punitive than the judges”.

Roma Hooper
Director, Make Justice Work.