NCJ Number
138844
Date Published
1992
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The sentencing provisions of Great Britain's Criminal Justice Act 1991 takes effect on October 1, 1992, and contain criteria for custodial sentences and their lengths, guidelines regarding community-based sentences, and requirements in other areas.
Abstract
The law provides that incarceration is permitted only if the offense is so serious that incarceration is the only sentence justified and where a violent or sex offense requires protection of the public from serious harm. Sentence lengths should be proportional to the seriousness of the offense. For offenders under age 18, the parent or guardian may agree to exercise proper control and provide care. A unit fine system is also introduced. Community sentences include attendance center orders, probation orders, supervision orders, community service orders, combination orders, and curfew orders. The law also renames the juvenile court as the "youth court" and brings 17-year- olds into its jurisdiction.