Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (2021)

This Bill continues the long legacy of inflationary sentencing proposals in England and Wales begun in the 1990s. Far from being the simplification of sentencing claimed, the Bill adds to the piecemeal and confusing history of sentencing legislation of which the government claims to be so critical. It does so without a coherent philosophy to underpin its approach, and guarantees the continuation of general sentence inflation which has played a large role in destroying the capacity of both prison and probation services to deliver the rehabilitative goals which the government claims to promote.

In this section you can read our briefings as the bill progresses through Parliament.