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The Sentencing Council for England and Wales promotes greater consistency in sentencing, whilst maintaining the independence of the judiciary. The Council produces guidelines on sentencing for the judiciary and aims to increase public understanding of sentencing.

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The Sentencing Council for England and Wales

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Sentencing Council launches new definitive guideline for dangerous dog offences
15 May 2012

Today, the Sentencing Council is publishing a new guideline for judges and magistrates on the sentencing of dangerous dog offences.

The new guideline, which has been issued following a 12-week public consultation, will come into effect on 20 August 2012.

The Council has also published a response to the consultation which summarises some of the very useful feedback and comments we received.

All publications are available here.

For more information on the announcement please visit the news page.

Sentencing Council publishes guidelines on allocation, offences taken into consideration and totality
06 March 2012

Today, the Sentencing Council is publishing definitive guidelines on three overarching aspects of sentencing: allocation, offences taken into consideration and totality.

The guidelines, which have been issued following a 12 week public consultation, will come into effect on 11 June 2012.

The Council has also published a response to the consultation which summarises some of the very useful feedback and comments we received.

It should be noted that the corresponding Magistrates' Court Sentencing Guidelines (MCSG) update contains revised relevant weekly income figures which have immediate effect.

All publications are available here.

Sentencing guideline for drug offences comes into force
27 February 2012

The new definitive guideline on drug offences will be used in all courts in England and Wales from 27 February 2012.

The Sentencing Council’s guideline brings sentencing guidance together for the first time to help ensure consistent and proportionate sentencing and provide effective guidance for sentencers and clear information for victims, witnesses and the public on how drug offenders are sentenced.

The guideline can be downloaded here.

The Sentencing Council has also produced several sentencing scenarios to familiarise sentencers with the guideline's approach and process. They can be accessed here.