Reviewing the Totality guideline – consultation

5 Oct 2022 03:09 PM

The Council is consulting on proposed changes to the Totality guideline.

The guideline sets out the approach for sentencing an offender for more than one offence or where the offender is already serving a sentence. Used alongside the relevant offence-specific guidelines or the General guideline, it provides sentencers with a framework for reaching a sentence that is just and proportionate to the offending as a whole.

We are proposing a series of changes in response to research we conducted with sentencers in 2021. These changes include:

• giving greater prominence to guidance on how the courts can achieve a just and proportionate sentence; and
• bringing the guideline up to date to reflect changes in case law.

The consultation is open until 7 December 2022.