§ Ian LucasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he will ensure that victims' views are taken into account by the criminal justice system when he sets sentencing guidelines. [162517]
§ Paul GogginsThe Criminal Justice Act 2003 established the Sentencing Guidelines Council to provide sentencing guidelines for all courts. The Council includes four non-judicial members, one of whom must have experience of "the promotion of the welfare of the victims of crime". Teresa Reynolds from Victim Support has been appointed to fulfil this role.
The victim Personal Statement scheme, introduced in October 2001, provided victims with the opportunity to explain the full extent of the consideration to the contents of the statement when sentencing an offender, although the opinion of the victim as to the specific sentence will not be taken into account.
In cases where the offender is given a life sentence for murder, the family of the victim have the opportunity to make personal statements, which should be taken into account by the courts when setting the minimum term to be served.