Should Victim Personal Statements affect the sentencing process? What do you think?

Should Victim Personal Statements affect the sentencing process? What do you think?

The Judiciary of England and Wales' Response to Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders, argues that that: 'The court can of course take the VPS [Victim Personal Statements] into account but must not be bound by it'. Read the comment on page 4 of the response.

In the September issue of Criminal Justice Matters we are planning to include a debating section on whether Victim Personal Statements should play a lesser or greater role in sentencing. If you have an opinion, please let us know by sending a 500 word comment piece to Tammy McGloughlin by Friday 20 May. If you don't currently receive Criminal Justice Matters, why not consider membership of the Centre.

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