Sentence Reduction for Guilty Pleas

Overview

The purpose of this consultation is to invite your views on the way in which the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland deals with reductions in sentence length when a plea of guilty is entered.

The law requires a court, when determining a person’s sentence, to take into account any plea of guilty, the reasons or circumstances behind it, and the timing of that plea.  Reductions of up to around a third can be applied to what the sentence would otherwise have been, depending on the point at which the plea was made and other surrounding circumstances. 

Whilst every factor affecting a sentence must be carefully considered, the timing of a guilty plea can cause particular challenges: for victims, when a late change of plea occurs having faced what can be lengthy and anxious periods preparing for a possible trial; for the justice system, which will have seen much court and prosecution time taken up in case preparation; and for the public, whose confidence in the system can be reduced.

This consultation explains the backdrop to the current position and decision to consult, summarises the approaches taken in Northern Ireland and neighbouring jurisdictions, outlines the issues and challenges which arise, and options for addressing these.

Sentence Reduction for Guilty Pleas - Public Consultation Document

Why your views matter

Your views can help the Department of Justice to assess whether a revised approach to sentence reduction arrangements and laws in Northern Ireland would improve this current process, providing better clarity for the public, in particular for offenders, victims of crime and witnesses, and as a result improve confidence in our justice system.