The Sentencing Council is publishing today the findings of research designed to identify and analyse any potential for the Council’s work to cause disparity in sentencing outcomes across demographic groups.

The research, conducted by the University of Hertfordshire to support the Council’s commitment to “explore and consider issues of equality and diversity relevant to our work”, examined the real and perceived impact of sentencing guidelines on specific groups of offenders. It assessed the potential influence of the language, factors and explanatory texts used in guidelines, as well as their structure, the guideline development process, the Council’s relationship with stakeholders and our communications.

The Council has committed to a programme of work that will allow us to respond to recommendations in this research.