Intoxication and assault: an analysis of Crown Court sentencing practices in England and Wales

Lightowlers, Carly ORCID: 0000-0002-0608-8141 and Pina-Sánchez, Jose (2018) Intoxication and assault: an analysis of Crown Court sentencing practices in England and Wales The British Journal of Criminology, 58 (1). pp. 132-154. ISSN 0007-0955, 1464-3529

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Abstract

Little is known about how the Sentencing Council’s guidance to treat intoxication as aggravation is applied in practice. With reference to assault offences, this study examines: whether intoxication has an aggravating effect; whether this is moderated through other characteristics of the case; and whether any effect is consistent across Crown Court locations. The probability of custody and sentence severity are modelled using (ordered) logit multilevel models and data from the Crown Court Sentencing Survey. The probability of receiving a custodial or severe sentence when intoxication features is increased, however, is moderated if the offence is deemed an isolated incident. Effects are relatively consistent across Crown Court locations, however ongoing monitoring of how intoxication shapes sentencing practice it is encouraged.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	alcohol, intoxication, violence,, assault, sentencing,, sentencing guidelines
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	20 Sep 2017 10:07
Last Modified:	01 Mar 2026 00:13
DOI:	10.1093/bjc/azx008
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3009210
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