Even if "public opinion," or preferably, "public judgment" can be ascertained in relation to a particular sentencing issue, should it be relevant to court decision-making, to institutional decision-making, and to the political process? If so, how? Penal Populism, Sentencing Councils and Sentencing Policy is the first publication to provide descriptions and analyses of new and proposed sentencing advisory bodies in Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., the U.K., Scotland, and South Africa. It presents practical examples of roles the public has in sentencing. The book is structured in two parts. Part One deals with general matters relating to public opinion: our knowledge of what it is or purports to be and how that influences or shapes sentencing policy. Part Two deals with the development, and nature of, sentencing councils and their roles vis-a-vis the public, government, and courts.