You Be the Judge: Crime & Punishment | Preview (5)

You Be the Judge: Crime & Punishment is a film exploring the British public’s view of sentencing in the UK - presented by Anne Robinson.

71% of British people believe that sentencing in the UK is too soft. There is no more a divisive issue facing the justice system, than how to punish convicted criminals.

In a challenging social experiment presented by Anne Robinson, we allow viewers the chance to compare their judgements about convicted criminals against real judges. The programme painstakingly reconstructs four actual sentencing hearings - a key part of the trial system that juries are absent from. It’s a controversial view of a part of the justice system we rarely see.

Viewers will get to decide what sentence they think a convicted criminal offender should get – before revealing what sentence the Judge actually passed. They can also compare their judgements against four groups who will be judging along with them – retired judges, former inmates, retired police officers and relatives of crime victims.

What sentence would you give to someone who stabbed his ex-girlfriend thirteen times in her own home and tried to clean up the murder scene? If a drunk man attacked someone in the street, leading to his death, and said afterwards that he didn’t mean it, would you give him a lighter sentence?

How many years would you give a 22-year old man who filmed himself on a motorway driving at over 120mph before losing control and crashing into another car killing a pregnant mother, her baby, and seriously injuring two children? Whether it’s murder, manslaughter or death by dangerous driving, we’ll examine the aggravating and mitigating factors judges take into account to determine a sentence.

Is British sentencing too lenient? How can longer sentences be a sensible solution if our overcrowded prisons can’t cope with the volume of prisoners sent its way?

You Be the Judge: Crime & Punishment airs Tuesday 6th May at 9pm on 5.