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The wide-ranging Criminal Justice Act of 2003 introduces a number of changes to the sentencing of offenders in England and Wales. One of the most significant changes is that the purposes of sentencing are set out in legislation. The statutorily listed purposes include punishment, the reduction of crime, rehabilitation, protection of the public, and reparation. In addition, the Act creates, for the first time, a Sentencing Guidelines Council with a mandate to develop sentencing guidelines. The criminal history provisions of the new Act mean that an offender’s previous convictions will henceforth carry significantly more weight at sentencing. The manner in which this is to be achieved echoes the use of criminal history in many of the U.S. sentencing guideline schemes. These reforms are likely to transform sentencing practices in Britain significantly. Before reviewing the relevant provisions of the new Act, however, some discussion of their origins is necessary.