Exercising Discretion

Loraine Gelsthorpeis a University Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Criminology, and a Fellow of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge.Nicola Padfield is Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Cambridge, and has published widely on criminal law, sentencing and criminal justice. She sits as a Recorder in the Crown Court, and has been editor of Archbold News since 1996.

• 1. Introduction2.Youth justice: discretion in pre-court decision-making 3. Judicial discretion in sentencing 4. Prison officers and the use of discretion 5. Discretion and the release of life sentence prisoners 6. Discretion in access to forensic psychiatric units 7. Discretion and the release of mentally disordered offenders 8. Decisions to detain asylum seekers - routine, duty or individual choice? 9. Order, rationality and silence: some reflections on criminal justice decision-making