§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of sentences that(a) are poorly targeted and (b) do not bear down sufficiently on dangerous offenders. [147365]
§ Paul GogginsDecisions on the targeting of sentences are for the courts, based on the full facts of individual cases. However, the Government is determined to ensure that sentences delivered are appropriate to offences committed. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 introduces a range of new sentences so that courts have a full range of options at their disposal in order to deal with offences and offenders appropriately.
These include the new Generic Community Sentence, which will allow judges and magistrates to choose specific elements (such as drug rehabilitation, unpaid work, curfew) that best suit the profiles of individual offenders and crimes.
The Act also enhances protection for the public from dangerous offenders. It introduces new indeterminate sentences for use where an offender is considered to pose a significant risk to the public. These sentences will ensure that an offender may be kept in custody for as long as he or she is considered to pose a threat to the public. If the risk posed decreases over time, the offender will become eligible for release once the period specified by the court as the minimum necessary for punitive purposes has been served.
977WIn addition, to promote consistency in sentencing between courts, the Act set up the Sentencing Guidelines Council, an independent body chaired by the Lord Chief Justice. The Council's role is to produce guidelines for the courts on the most appropriate and best-targeted sentence for different types of offence.