Justice written question – answered at on 2 February 2012.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to changing the composition of the Sentencing Council better to reflect the views of victims of crime; and if he will make a statement.
Judicial appointments to the Sentencing Council for England and Wales are made by the Lord Chief Justice. Non-judicial appointments are made by the Lord Chancellor. Schedule 15 to the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 sets out a number of areas of experience which make a person eligible for appointment as a non-judicial member of the Council, including experience of the promotion of the welfare of victims of crime. The Council's current non-judicial members were appointed in April 2010 for terms of three years.
Since its creation in April 2010, the Council has sought the views of victim groups and individual victims on each of its draft guidelines. It has also undertaken a number of research projects to elicit the views and attitudes of victims. The Council is currently completing research on attitudes to sentencing sexual offences, which has included interviews with victims (or the parents of victims where the offence was against a person under 16).
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
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