New MoJ Site

The Open Justice website is now a great resource for students to use on sentencing and, amongst other things, the proposed changes to the criminal and civil court systems.And of course there’s fab sentencing resource You Be the Judge...

Jury trial under threat…again!

It looks like the latest victim of government cuts could be the right to trial by jury for some offences that are currently triable either way. This follows a report from the Commissioner of Victims of Crime, Louise Casey, and also follows the swift justice meted out to the rioters of summer 2011. Although jury trial itself will stay, according to the government, we may see a reduction in the number of either-way offences together with an increase in the sentencing powers of Magistrates.

The proposal is much criticised, including this article and also a piece by famed QC Michael Mansfield, who calls the proposals “pathetically predictable”. Plenty for your AS students to get their teeth into!

R v Dobson & Norris

Mr Justice Treacy’s sentencing remarks in the Stephen Lawrence case are now available to view. A fantastic source to give to the students - ask them to identify aggravating and mitigating factors referred to by the judge.

The BBC also have a good clip here from an interview prior to the sentences being passed in which a barrister explains how the judge will approach matters.

It’s also useful for illustration of the impact of Schedule 21 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 on sentencing for murder - as the offence in question was prior to this, the Act does not apply to Dobson and Norris.

A high profile case and a topic which should also provoke discussion of the aims of sentencing. See below for a brief video clip!

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