THE SENTENCE: ANNE ROBINSON TO HOST JUSTICE SYSTEM SOCIAL EXPERIMENT ON 5

Two thirds 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, 5 will allow viewers the chance to compare their judgements about convicted criminals against real judges.

The Sentence: You Be the Judge (1 x 90’) will painstakingly reconstruct four REAL sentencing hearings - a key part of the trial system that juries are excluded from. 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. It’s a controversial view of a part of the justice system we rarely see.

Anne Robinson said: “Why is the sentencing of criminals so widely inconsistent? Why does a protester who climbs up a bridge to stop the traffic spend more time in prison than someone who punches an innocent man who dies as a result?  This programme tells a jaw dropping story. The government needs to watch it.”

The Sentence: You Be the Judge will air on 5.