sentences

Section of the UK Parliament website holding the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee's report on knife crime, it's causes, consequences and what can be done to reduce and prevent it.

The Community Sentences project was set up to investigate and monitor the new Community Order (CO) and the Suspended Sentence Order (SSO) which came into operation in April 2005. The project offers rigorous, objective information and critical analysis about the way the sentences are used, the views of practitioners and the impact on specific groups of offenders.

Report presenting the findings of a study which investigated the continuity of care experienced by prisoners before and after release. It also makes recommendations as to how continuity of care between prison and the community could be improved.

The Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) is one of 12 options (‘requirements’) available to sentencers when constructing a Community Order or a Suspended Sentence Order. The MHTR can be given to an offender with mental health problems who does not require immediate compulsory hospital admission under the Mental Health Act. If they give their consent, the MHTR requires them to receive mental health treatment for a specified period.

Report examining the issue of crime in Scotland by looking at key indicators and the policies in place to deal with criminal behaviour, in particular focusing on policing, courts and sentencing to see what actions could be taken in those areas to achieve a long term fall in the crime rate.

Report presenting evidence and case studies which highlight the type and extent of sexual abuse experienced by adults with a learning disability and how they are often poorly served by the legal system in England. The report argues for new legislation to provide better protection from abuse and ensure abusers are successfully prosecuted and sentenced.

Report presenting the early findings from the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2008/09. Included are estimates for the majority of questions contained in the survey questionnaire and some simple one-to-one relationships between survey variables.

Report intended for policy makers interested in prison and sentencing reform. It presents evidence about the situation in Scotland and ideas for future policy development in Scotland. These ideas are based on research presented by academics at a seminar on sentencing reform held 12 December 2008.

Paper highlighting the limitations of evaluating criminal justice services in terms of their impact on re-offending using reconviction data only.

It discusses the implications of this for policy and recommends the use of other research methods which conform more to the aims of specific services. It also identifies some of the limits of any criminal justice system's capacity to reduce harm in society.

Report providing an overview of crime and justice policies in Scotland and making comparisons with data from previous reviews to give an indication of how Scotland is performing.