Crime, justice and protecting the public : presented to Parliament by command of Her Majesty, February 1990 - The Government's Proposals for Legislation

This white paper sets out the government's proposals for changes in way the courts deal with offenders.

Current uncertainty and lack of guidance about the principles which should govern sentencing indicates a need for a new and more coherent statutory framework.

The proposals carry forward the ideas in the green paper "Punishment, custody and the community" and recommendations made subsequent to that paper. The aim of the government's proposals is better justice through a more consistent approach to sentencing, ensuring that the severity of the sentence should be directly related to the seriousness of the crime.