Aims to analyse and explore the role of the public in the development of sentencing policy with particular emphasis on the emerging role of sentencing commissions, advisory councils or panels in a number of English-speaking countries.

1. Penal Populism: Sentencing Councils and Sentencing Policy  2. Sentencing Policy and Practice: The Evolving Role of Public Opinion  3. Penal Populism and Penal Scandal in New Zealand  4. Dealing the Public In: Challenges for a Transparent and Accountable Sentencing Policy  5. Myths and Misconceptions: Public Opinion Versus Public Judgment About Sentencing  6. The Role of the Public in Sentencing Policy Development under the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines  7. The Failures of the United States Sentencing Commission  8. English Sentencing Guidelines in their Public and Political Context  9. The New South Wales Sentencing Council  10. The Sentencing Commission for Scotland  11. The Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council: Incorporating Community Views into the Sentencing Process  12. A Perspective on the Work of the Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council and its Potential to Promote Respect and Equality for Women  13. Sentencing Reform in New Zealand: A Proposal to Establish a Sentencing Council  14. Proposals for a Sentencing Council in South Africa  15. A Federal Sentencing Council for Australia  16. Institutional Mechanisms for Incorporating the Public in the Development of Sentencing Policy  17. Does it Matter? Reflections on the Effectiveness of Institutionalised Public Participation in the Development of Sentencing Policy