Four in 10 people think judges are too soft in manslaughter cases Overall the study found 39 per cent of people came up with the same sentence as the judge, 16 per cent were more severe and 45 per cent were more lenient. Just over half of the people who took part thought that initial sentencing by judges was "about right," rising to three quarters after they had considered the cases. Similarly 41 per cent of people thought judges" sentences were too lenient at the start of cases, falling to 13 per cent at the end of the process. However these figures masked big differences between different offences. The study found that 42 per cent of the 513 people who "tried" the manslaughter case thought the judges' eventual two and a half year jail term was too soft. Similarly in the burglary case, 29 per cent of the 17,441 people who took part thought that the judge's three and a half year verdict was not severe enough. But two-thirds of people who "tried" the murder case, thought a 20 year jail term was appropriate, shorter than the 25 year term handed down by the judge. The Ministry of Justice said the project was designed "to show users how judges and magistrates decide on the sentences they pass." However the MoJ acknowledged that the people taking part in the study were self selecting, by volunteering to take part, and were not a representative sample. David Green, from the thinktank Civitas, said: "It looks like a "put-up job" by the Ministry to give them a cover story for lenient sentences if they were serious they would do a proper random sample. It was "ridiculous" that more than 60 per cent of persistent offenders with 15 or more convictions for indictable crimes do not get a custodial term, he said He said: "If you look at serious crimes or persistent offenders most people would think there is too much lenient sentencing. The Government knows that and if it wants to be taken seriously, it should do proper random samples. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Previous research shows that public knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of the criminal justice system (CJS) and sentencing can be important factors in the public's willingness to engage with the system. The 'You Be The Judge' website was launched in March 2010 and expanded with more cases in November 2012. Throughout this time 74,000 people have been in the judging seat. Findings show that more than 80 per cent of the public would give criminals a sentence that is more lenient or the same as a judge when presented with the full facts of a crime. "Also more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of users who started their experience with the view that sentencing was "too lenient," ended the process with the view that it was "right.""