Lord Chief Justice calls for double sentencing powers

Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, the lord chief justice, has called for magistrates to have more weighted sentencing powers. He has said that Magistrates’ power should be increased to so that they can hand down one-year jail sentences to offenders.

As it stands, magistrates have the authority to hand down six-month sentences. But this means that longer sentences are still the responsibility of the crown court, which is costing an estimated £40 million per year.

There are concerns that increasing magistrates’ sentencing powers will cause the number of prisoners in England and Wales - currently around 85,000 - to rise further. But Thomas stated that, as this would only concern short-term prisoners, there would not be issues concerning the strain placed on prison resources in the long term.

It is less costly to hold trials in the magistrates’ courts as opposed to in the crown court - the former costs £900 while the latter £3,400, so there is a significant difference of about £2,500. Magistrates have also been calling for increased sentencing powers for a long time, so will welcome the words of the lord chief justice

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