non-custodial sentences

A website resource of briefings, research reports, journal articles and books on the subject of crime and justice.

Report highlighting the part which sentencing has played in the increase in the prison population in Scotland and identifying factors which may discourage sentencers from using custody and encourage them to make use of alternatives to custodial sentences.

The Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) of the Community Order can be given to offenders in England who have an identified mental health problem and have consented to receiving readily available treatment. This paper lays out what is known so far about the MHTR and further areas for investigation concerning its operation.

Report discussing how penal policy and sentencing can best contribute to reducing the prison population in Scotland while still maintaining public safety and suggesting some principles which would establish a presumption against the use of imprisonment as a means of punishment.

This episode of Radio 4's Thinking Allowed series includes a segment on electronic tagging. In the summer of 2005, the UK Home Secretary, David Blunkett, announced the expansion of tagging schemes for offenders which was predicted to lead to an increase in the number that are tagged and the introduction of satellite tagging.

This Act of Scottish Parliament is in twelve parts: protection of the public at large; victims' rights; sexual offences; prisoners; drugs courts; non-custodial punishments; children; evidential, jurisdictional and procedural matters; bribery and corruption; criminal records; local authority functions; and a miscellaneous part which includes sections on offences aggravated by religious prejudice, wildlife offences and anti-social behaviour strategies.

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 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.

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.