We have published our annual report for 2023/24. The report is Lord Justice William Davis’s second as Chairman and documents the Council’s achievements of the year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 in the context of the objectives set in the Council’s five-year strategy, Sentencing Council strategic objectives 2021-2026.

The Council’s achievements during 2023/24 include:

• publishing new and revised offence specific definitive sentencing guidelines for animal cruelty offences, motoring offences, perverting the course of justice, and witness intimidation, and a revised overarching guideline on totality

• holding our third, annual miscellaneous amendments consultation and consulting on proposed changes to the overarching guideline, Imposition of community and custodial sentences, and three offence specific guidelines, and

• publishing the findings of three research projects looking at the definitive guideline, Overarching principles: domestic abuse, expanded explanations in sentencing guidelines, and issues related to effectiveness of sentencing as a form of deterrent to offending