Prison Sentences: Gender
Commons · Question 119798 · Tabled 10 Mar 2026 · Ministry of Justice · Official record
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Question
Asked by James McMurdock
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what comparative assessment he has made of custodial sentencing rates between male and female offenders for comparable offences.
Answer
Answered by Jake Richards, 16 Mar 2026
Sentencing decisions are a matter for the courts, which must follow statutory sentencing guidelines, developed by the Sentencing Council, unless it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.Those guidelines are gender‑neutral, requiring court...