§ Mrs. CurrieTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is given to the courts on sentences for people convicted of violence on first offence.
§ Mr. John PattenThe Criminal Justice Act 1991 will introduce a clear statutory framework for sentencing, under which the penalty will be based on the seriousness of the offence for which the offender is being sentenced. A custodial sentence, or a longer one than justified by the seriousness of the offence, will be available to protect the public from serious harm from a violent, or a sexual, offender.