The Sentencing Council of England and Wales has as its core aim to promote consistency in sentencing, with a developed system of appellate guidance at sentencing in addition to a narrative guidelines system which is now two decades old. As such, there is much to analyse and many lessons to be learned - for England and Wales and other jurisdictions. Consistency in sentencing is widely regarded to be an essential component of a fair sentencing system; but what does consistency mean exactly? In Achieving Consistency in Sentencing , the author maintains that consistency incorporates both substantive and procedural elements, focussing upon the proper application of principle. The notion of comparing 'like' cases is rejected as simplistic, impractical, and unprincipled. Lyndon Harris argues that a more principled approach reconciles the tension between consistency and individualised justice which has been suggested to exist. The author uses clear empirical evidence of inconsistency in sentencing to emphasize the crucial need for discretion during the sentencing exercise which, he argues, should be structured in a way that encourages sentences to be imposed in accordance with the principles underpinning the scheme while maintaining the ability to individualise sentences. Using England and Wales as a case study, this work analyses various methods of structuring discretion. The latter part of the book examines the interplay between the primary givers of guidance: Parliament, the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), and the Sentencing Council and draws conclusions (good and bad) as to ways in which consistency can be achieved. Lyndon Harris identifies lessons to be learned while pointing out the strengths and deficiencies in the various devices used to guide sentencing judges when they are required to exercise their discretion. The book draws attention to the need for greater flexibility and structure while emphasising the work that needs to be done to address racial and gender inconsistencies in sentencing. Thus, while providing a theoretically sound critique of the concept, this monograph is of direct practical relevance to those studying or practising in sentencing systems worldwide.
This book includes information about more than seven thousand black people who lived in Clark County, Kentucky before 1865. Part One is a relatively brief set of narrative chapters about several individuals. Part Two is a compendium of information drawn mainly from probate, military, vital, and census records.
Spanning over seventy years, this title describes the author's experience of living and working in Wales, Hertfordshire, Devon, Essex, Bristol and particularly Liverpool, where he became the official spokesman for Merseyside following his appointment as Liverpool's first ever City Public Relations Officer.
We, the Jury is the dramatic story of seven jurors, who convicted Scott Peterson of murdering his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner, despite a series of internal battles that brought the first major murder trial of the 21st century to the brink of a mistrial. The Peterson jurors argued and disagreed but eventually bonded to seal the fate of the icy killer who dumped his victims into the bullet-gray waters of San Francisco Bay. The seven jurors of We, the Jury were seven average Americans who never imagined the horrors they would face or the phantoms that would haunt them after they convicted the enigmatic murderer and recommended that he be put to death. This is the story of how the American jury system worked after being battered by critics for the way it functioned in the trials of O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson. Unlike the jurors in those trials, who second-guessed themselves, the Peterson jurors do not question their decisions. It wasn’t one thing that condemned Scott Peterson, it was everything.
Transcribing and selecting the most stunning moments from hundreds of hours of newly released LBJ tapes, Beschloss has added another permanent treasure to the American historical record. Throughout this incredible narrative, he provides keen commentary and historical contexts, revealing just how profoundly LBJ changed the presidency--and America itself.
The true identity of the psychotic ZODIAC killer has been known by the Mandamus Seven (group of retired law enforcement officers, federal agents, a minister, and a District Attorney) since March 15, 1971. This true story is now being told for the very first time. Official corruption and political intervention forced the investigation into a top secret, covert status, giving the insane ZODIAC killer immunity and a license to kill. His motive -- adultery! Mind and body ravaged by years of severe alcoholism, his blood-lusting revenge turned him into the most shocking and vicious killer in our 20th century. Through his tauntings of the police, his codes, ciphers, and letters, he was on a mission to redeem his shattered ego, to prove that he was better, smarter, and more clever than all the judges and police put together. With lordly arrogance and jealousy and with the assistance of the police, he continued his killing spree until he claimed a total of 37 victims. Lips sealed by secret oaths and federal obstructions of justice, the investigation was further impeded by personal associations with the suspect and his tenacious, intrepid wife, placing family members in imminent danger. The evidence is overwhelming and given the totality of the facts, it is the author's opinion that there is no jury in the world that would not find the suspect guilty of being the criminal genius, ZODIAC.
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