Andrew Ashworth expertly examines the key issues in English sentencing policy & practice including the mechanisms for producing sentencing guidelines. He considers the most high-profile stages in the criminal justice process such as the Court of Appeal's approach to the custody threshold the framework for the sentencing of young offenders & the abiding problems of previous convictions in sentencing. Taking into account the Criminal Justice & Immigration Act 2008 & the Coroners & Justice Act 2009 the book's inter-disciplinary approach places the legislation & guidelines on sentencing in the context of criminological research statistical trends & theories of punishment. By examining the law in relation to elements of the wider criminal justice system including the prison & probation services students gain a rounded perspective on the relevant principles & problems of sentencing & criminal justice.