sentences

The Community Order and the Suspended Sentence Order Three Years On: The views and experiences of probation officers and offenders

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.

A missed opportunity?: community sentences and the mental health treatment requirement

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.

Power to protect

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.

Behind closed doors : preventing sexual abuse against adults with a learning disability

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.

Evidencing the impact of criminal justice services on re-offending

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.