Citizens’ panel calls for comprehensive reform to sentencing in England and Wales

A citizens’ panel made up of a representative sample of 15 members of the public has concluded that the current sentencing system in England and Wales is “complex, bureaucratic, and unfit for the pressing needs of society,” according to a report released today.

The panel was commissioned by the Prison Reform Trust and set up, facilitated and reported on by the specialist social research agency Hopkins Van Mil (HVM).

The panel was timed to provide insight for the government’s independent review of sentencing, chaired by former justice secretary David Gauke, whose final report is expected to the published in May 2025.

Although a public dialogue and various polls and surveys have been undertaken on public awareness of sentencing, this is the first deliberative exercise to explore public attitudes on effective sentencing in England and Wales.

The panel, composed of 15 members representing a diverse cross-section of the population, engaged in 11.5 hours of deliberation over a 10-day period from January 30 to February 8, 2025. Participants heard from seven expert witnesses and received extensive information on current sentencing guidelines and practices.

The findings reveal a strong public desire for “a system which is fair to everyone in society and prioritises keeping people safe whilst achieving better outcomes from reform and rehabilitation,” the report said.

The citizens’ panel identified several critical issues with the current sentencing system:

• Low public awareness leading to misunderstandings that can unduly influence policy decisions.
• Systemic unfairness that disproportionately affects minoritised ethnic groups, women, and working-class individuals.
• Ineffective rehabilitation programmes that fail to achieve desired outcomes.
• Financial inefficiency of the current system, particularly regarding prison costs during a cost-of-living crisis.

The panel proposed four main routes to developing a more effective sentencing system:

1. Improving trust and accountability to build a fairer system that is understood by wider society.
2. Modernising the system through better use of technology, data, and a simplified sentencing framework and guidelines.
3. Restricting custodial sentences to the most serious crimes and improving rehabilitation in prisons.
4. Increasing community sentencing for less serious offenses with improved resources for the National Probation Service.

Ideas for reform put forward by panel members included the more visible use of community sentences for making reparation to victims and communities and the use of national service as an alternative to custody for some serious offences.

The report draws four main conclusions regarding the value of public engagement to sentencing reform:

1. Public participants can provide valuable insights for policymaking when given accurate information and time to reflect.
2. Ongoing public deliberation should be commissioned by government agencies and independent organisations.
3. Public awareness of sentencing must be raised through increased communication and education.
4. Public trust and confidence in sentencing can be improved by demonstrating long-term strategic thinking and effective use of resources.