‘Lottery’ jail terms - Judges must explain their decisions

PUBLIC trust in the administration of justice in this country has been shaken by the inconsistency of sentencing by the courts.

From the forthright comments of James Hamilton, Director of Public Prosecutions, it is clear that judges need to espouse a new system that would require them to explain the reasons behind their sentencing decisions.

So unsatisfactory is the present scenario that he compared it to a “lottery”.