Providing unrivalled coverage of one of the most high-profile stages in the criminal justice process, this book examines the key issues in sentencing policy and practice. It provides an up-to-date account of the legislation on sentencing together with the ever-increasing amount of Court of Appeal case law. The law in relation to elements of the wider criminal justice system is examined, including the prison and probation services. The aim of the book is to examine English sentencing law in its context, drawing not only upon legislation and the decisions of the courts but also upon the findings of research and on theoretical justifications for punishment. This new edition has been extensively revised to integrate the new laws introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which has brought sweeping reforms into English sentencing.