Dr. Elaine Freer has been appointed by the Lord Chancellor to the Sentencing Council as a non-judicial member for a three-year term.
The new term began on July 1, 2022, and it will end on June 30, 2025.
Part 4 of the Coroners and Justice Act of 2009 established the Sentence Council for England and Wales with the goal of enhancing sentencing consistency and openness while preserving judicial independence.
The duties of the Sentencing Council include creating sentencing guidelines, overseeing their use, evaluating the effect of guidelines on sentencing practice, and fostering public awareness and trust in sentencing and the criminal justice system.
The Commissioner for Public Appointments oversees appointments and reappointments, which must follow the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Elaine Freer, M.D.
Self-employed lawyer Dr. Elaine Freer handles both the prosecution and defence of criminal matters.
As a Panel Clerk for the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service, she also represents registrants in disputes brought by regulatory authorities like the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council.
She participated in the Law Commission of England and Wales’ hate crime initiative as a lawyer on the Criminal Team throughout 2019.
Additionally, she holds a position as a professor at Robinson College, part of the University of Cambridge, where she teaches criminal law, criminal procedure and evidence, and criminology, sentencing, and the penal system.