Featuring 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 legislation on sentencing as well as the ever-increasing amount of Court of Appeal law cases. The law in relation to elements of the wider criminal justice system is critically examined, including prison and probation services. The 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.