“We think rehabilitation is particularly important for young people as there is significant potential for a young person’s behaviour to be changed and the risk of reoffending reduced, particularly as a result of their still developing maturity and their capacity for change.”
SCSN recently submitted a response to the Scottish Sentencing Council (SSC) ‘Sentencing Young People’ Guideline Consultation – third guideline.
In their business plan, published in October 2018, they stated their intention to complete a set of three general guidelines on the principles and purposes of sentencing, the sentencing process, and the sentencing of young people. The SSC intend these general guidelines to form a framework for every sentencing decision in Scotland and provide a basis for future guidelines on specific offences.
The SSC also hope that they will promote a consistent approach to sentencing, and help to explain to the public how sentencing decisions are made. The first of these guidelines, ‘Principles and purposes of sentencing’, was approved by the High Court in October 2018, and came into force in November 2018. The second, ‘The sentencing process’, was subject to public consultation in summer 2019, and will be submitted to the High Court for approval in due course.
You can read the full SCSN response here: Sentencing Young People Consultation Response