ABSTRACT
Sentencing practice has altered considerably over the last twenty years or so, from an area of law with considerable judicial discretion and relatively little statutory law or case precedent to one with voluminous statutory provision and case law. Sentencing is now regarded by practitioners as complex and technical. The development of sentencing guidelines since 2000 has also transformed the way in which the practical business of sentencing is carried out. The sentencing of every case in the Crown Court requires close judicial engagement with the guidelines. Sentencing guidelines are issued by the Sentencing Council, and one example of a sentencing guideline (for the offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm), is considered later in this chapter.
