Portrayals of a punitive public are misleading, argues this study on sentencing. This seminal study, which was funded by the Criminology Research Council, is the first reported study to use jurors in real trials to gauge public opinion about sentences and sentencing. Using jurors is a way of investigating the views of members of the...

The study reported here examined the value of using jurors to help the justice system understand public opinion about sentencing and to inform the public on crime and sentencing issues.The disconnect between public opinion and reality in offending and sentencing is well understood, but jurors are members of the public with a more informed view...

This report addresses the questions of when, and in what ways, an accused’s state of intoxication (whether by alcohol or drugs) is relevant to their trial for a criminal offence. Kate Warner makes 13 recommendations for reform including the key recommendation that evidence of intoxication should be relevant to any mental element, including intention, knowledge...