Committee submits views on sentencing for theft
17 July 2014
The Justice Committee publishes its report Theft Offences Guideline: Consultation.
- Report: Theft Offences Guideline: Consultation
- Report: Theft Offences Guideline: Consultation (PDF 224 KB)
- Justice Committee
The Sentencing Council periodically issues draft Sentencing Guidelines for public consultation. Under s. 120(6)(c) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, the Council is required to consult the House of Commons Justice Select Committee on draft Guidelines. The Justice Committee therefore provides parliamentary oversight of Sentencing Guideline development.
To scrutinise effectively the Guideline on Theft and related offences the Committee held a seminar with participants including the Metropolitan Police; British Transport Police; the Association of Chief Probation Officers; the Magistrates’ Association; Victim Support; and the Prison Reform Trust. The Chair of the Committee has written to the Chairman of the Council, Lord Justice Treacy, a letter which is published with the Committee’s Report.
Impact on victims
The Committee broadly supports the principles on which the Guideline is based, welcoming in particular the emphasis on placing the impact on victims of theft at the heart of the sentencing process.
The Committee calls on the Sentencing Council to encourage sentencers to consider the use of Restorative Justice in the sentencing process in areas where it is available, while emphasising that it must always be victim-led and intended to benefit those who have been the subject of crime rather than the offender.
Chair's comments
Committee Chair Rt Hon Sir Alan Beith MP said:
"I have seen Restorative Justice at work and so have experience of the impact it can have, most importantly, on helping victims but also turning around the lives of persistent offenders."
Restorative Justice brings together offenders and those harmed by their offence, enabling victims to explain to offenders the impact of their crime and to get an apology. It helps offenders understand the impact of their actions, to take responsibility for them and to make amends.