Maximum Penalties for Criminal Offences - Study Paper 21

• General Information
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1 - Introduction
  • Background
  • Reasons for the review
  • The scope of the review
  • The structure of this report
• Chapter 2 - The nature and role of maximum penalties
• Chapter 3 - Methodology
  • Alternative approaches
  • Step 1: A quantitative tool for measuring harm
  • Step 2: Testing the tool on sample offences
• Chapter 4 - Determining harm and culpability
  • Overall provisional harm score
  • Adjusting for culpability
  • Comparing the provisional ranking with current maximum penalties and sentencing practice
• Chapter 5 - Devising and consulting on draft penalty categories
  • Determining penalty categories
  • Public consultation on penalty categories
• Chapter 6 - Conclusion: anomalies in the maximum penalty structure
  • Maxima that are out of line with those for other cognate offences
  • Maxima that do not appropriately reflect the range of interests harmed or put at risk by the offence
  • Maxima that do not reflect the appropriate balance between consequence and culpability
  • Maxima for offences that overlap with other offences
  • Maxima that are based on social conditions and mores of another era
  • Maxima that are based on an inconsistent approach to preparatory conduct
  • Maxima attaching to offences in the Arms Act 1983
  • Conclusion
• Appendix A - Sample offences for determining base values
• Appendix B - Calculation of harm caused by an offence
• Appendix C - Colmar Brunton - Maximum Penalties Report
• Appendix D - Final ranking of offences in penalty categories