You be the Judge

You can try sentencing for yourself by going to You be the Judge online.

You be the Judge puts you in the judge’s seat. You will get to choose from eight real life court cases, you will hear the facts of the case, and the aggravating and mitigating factors, then you will decide the sentence.

Finally you get to see how your sentence compares to the one handed out by the judge in the real case.

This interactive experience will give you an insight into how judges and magistrates reach their decisions and how they use sentencing guidelines to help them with what is the right sentence for a criminal offence.

Links to the relevant sentencing guidelines used for each of the court case scenarios on You be the Judge can be found below along with a link to the court case scenario.

Guidelines used in You be the Judge cases

Burglary

Alexander Jackson, 26, has been found guilty of breaking into and stealing from a family’s house.

Burglary Guideline

Criminal damage

Vandalism court case on You be the Judge

Robert Horton, 23, has been found guilty of scratching three cars and spraying graffiti on a garage door.

Criminal Damage (other than by fire) Guideline

Possession of drugs with intent to supply

Drug dealing court case on You be the Judge

Rebecca Edwards, 28, has been found guilty of having more than 300 ecstasy pills, which she was going to sell.

Drug Offences Guideline

Manslaughter

David Chichester, 56, has been found guilty of punching a motorist, causing his death.

No guideline other than for manslaughter ‘by means of provocation’ which is not the case here. This offence is informed by reference to previous rulings by the Court of Appeal.