What Factors Influence Sentencing in the Courts of England and Wales?

Sentencing is seen as an important aspect of the criminal justice system and has been used as a way of dealing with offenders since the founding of the law system as we know it. It is not a simple process however, as many considerations must be taken into account before an appropriate sentence can be imposed. For example, should the main aim of sentencing to be to protect the public from the offender or purely to punish or rehabilitate the individual committing the offence? …