Non-judicial appointments to the sentencing council

The Lord Chancellor today (8th April 2013) announced four new members and one re-appointment to the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.

The new members are:

Javed Khan, Chief Executive of Victim Support;
Michael Caplan, QC;
Lynne Owens, Chief Constable of Surrey Police; and
Julian Roberts, Professor of Criminology.
John Crawforth OBE has been reappointed to his existing role.

The appointments, which come as a number of existing members reach the end of their three year tenure, followed an open competition based on the core principles in the Code of Practice for Ministerial appointments to public bodies.

The Sentencing Council was established in April 2010 with the aim of bringing greater transparency and public understanding to the sentencing processes. Working as an independent body, the Council has responsibility for developing new guidelines, monitoring implementation and considering the impact of sentencing on victims. It is an independent, non-departmental body of the Ministry of Justice, established under ss118-136 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. More information on the Sentencing Council.

Sentencing Council non-judicial members:

John Crawforth OBE, former Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Probation Trust
Lynne Owens, Chief Constable of Surrey Police
Julian Roberts, Professor of Criminology at the University of Oxford
Javed Kahn, Chief Executive of Victim Support
Michael Caplan QC, Partner at Kingsley Napley
Keir Starmer, Director of Public Prosecutions

Sentencing Council judicial members: