This literature review brings together the evidence on the effectiveness of sentencing from the perspectives of offenders, the general public, victims and sentencers. It builds on the 2022 review commissioned and published by the Sentencing Council that brought together evidence on the effectiveness of different sentencing options on reoffending. These reviews were commissioned in response to the Council’s commitment in its Strategic Objectives 2021-2026 to “consider and collate evidence on effectiveness of sentencing” (Strategic Objectives 2021-2026), enabling it to consider the most up-to-date evidence when developing and revising guidelines.

This review covers research related to the groups’ differing perspectives of sentencing effectiveness, exploring factors such as deterrence, punishment, knowledge and understanding of sentencing and the role of sentencing in the context of procedural justice.

Research literature on sentencing is reviewed, with a focus on the most recent evidence up to 2023. The review strongly focused on literature in England and Wales, though findings from research conducted in other jurisdictions were considered to the extent they could be informative.

The views expressed in the review are those of the author, Dr Jay Gormley, and are not necessarily shared by the Sentencing Council, nor do they represent Sentencing Council policy.

• Reconceptualising the effectiveness of sentencing: four perspectives – HTML version
• Reconceptualising the effectiveness of sentencing: four perspectives – PDF version