Juvenile Justice Bill

House of Commons

Session 1999-2000
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

Juvenile Justice Bill

This is the text of the Juvenile Justice Bill, as presented to the House of Commons on 16th May 2000.

Juvenile Justice Bill

ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES

Clause

1. Amendment of the Prosecution of Offences (Custody Time Limits) Regulations 1987.

2. Amendment of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985.

3. Short title, commencement and extent.

A
B I L L
TO
Provide that a young person indicted for a serious criminal offence shall be brought to trial within a period of 110 days; and for connected purposes.
BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

Amendment of the Prosecution of Offences (Custody Time Limits) Regulations 1987.     1. In Regulation 5 of the Prosecution of Offences (Custody Time Limits) Regulations 1987 as amended, after paragraph (6) there is inserted-

    "(6A) Notwithstanding anything in paragraphs (1) to (6) above, where a person aged under 18 who has attained the age of 10 is charged with an indictable offence other than treason, the maximum period which may elapse between the time when he is charged with the offence and his arraignment shall be 110 days."

Amendment of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985.     2. In section 22 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (power of Secretary of State to set time limits in relation to preliminary stages of criminal proceedings), after subsection (3) there is inserted-

    "(3A) Where the accused is aged under 18 and has attained the age of 10 the Crown court may, at any time before the expiry of a time limit imposed by the regulations, extend, or further extend, that limit if it is satisfied-

(a) that there are exceptional circumstances which fully justify doing so; and

(b) that the prosecution has acted with all due expedition.

    (3B) Where the accused is aged under 18 and has attained the age of 10 a court other than the Crown court may, at any time before the expiry of a time limit imposed by the regulations, extend, or further extend, that limit if it is satisfied-

(a) that there is good and sufficient cause for doing so; and

(b) that the prosecution has acted with all due expedition."

Short title, commencement and extent.     3. - (1) This Act may be cited as the Juvenile Justice Act 2000.

    (2) The provisions of this Act shall come into force on the expiry of a period of three months from the date on which it is passed.

    (3) This Act extends to England and Wales only.

© Parliamentary copyright 2000
Prepared 29 June 2000