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Criminal Justice Bill


Criminal Justice Bill
Part 2 — Bail

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 14    Appeals to High Court

     (1)    In section 22(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 (extension of power of High

Court to grant, or vary conditions of, bail) after “proceedings”, in the second

place where it occurs, there is inserted “and it does so where an application to

the court to state a case for the opinion of the High Court is made”.

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     (2)    The inherent power of the High Court to entertain an application in relation to

bail where a magistrates’ court—

           (a)           has granted or withheld bail, or

           (b)           has varied the conditions of bail,

            is abolished.

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     (3)    The inherent power of the High Court to entertain an application in relation to

bail where the Crown Court has determined—

           (a)           an application under section 3(8) of the 1976 Act, or

           (b)           an application under section 81(1)(a), (b), (c) or (g) of the Supreme

Court Act 1981 (c. 54),

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            is abolished.

     (4)    The High Court is to have no power to entertain an application in relation to

bail where the Crown Court has determined an appeal under section 13 of this

Act.

     (5)    Nothing in this section affects—

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           (a)           any other power of the High Court to grant or withhold bail or to vary

the conditions of bail, or

           (b)           any right of a person to apply for a writ of habeas corpus or any other

prerogative remedy.

     (6)    Any reference in this section to an application in relation to bail is to be read as

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including—

           (a)           an application for bail to be granted,

           (b)           an application for bail to be withheld, or

           (c)           an application for the conditions of bail to be varied.

 15    Appeal by prosecution

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     (1)    Section 1 of the Bail (Amendment) Act 1993 (c. 26) (prosecution right of appeal)

is amended as follows.

     (2)    For subsection (1) (prosecution may appeal to Crown Court judge against bail

in case of offence punishable by imprisonment for five years or more etc) there

is substituted—

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           “(1)              Where a magistrates’ court grants bail to a person who is charged with,

or convicted of, an offence punishable by imprisonment, the

prosecution may appeal to a judge of the Crown Court against the

granting of bail.”

     (3)    In subsection (10)(a) for “punishable by a term of imprisonment” there is

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substituted “punishable by imprisonment”.

 16    Drug users: restriction on bail

     (1)    The 1976 Act is amended as follows.

 

 

Criminal Justice Bill
Part 2 — Bail

    11

 

     (2)    In section 3 (general provisions), after subsection (6B) there is inserted—

           “(6C)              Subsection (6D) below applies where—

                  (a)                 the court has been notified by the Secretary of State that

arrangements for conducting a relevant assessment or, as the

case may be, providing relevant follow-up have been made for

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the petty sessions area in which it appears to the court that the

person referred to in subsection (6D) would reside if granted

bail; and

                  (b)                 the notice has not been withdrawn.

           (6D)              In the case of a person (“P”)—

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                  (a)                 in relation to whom paragraphs (a) to (c) of paragraph 6B(1) of

Schedule 1 to this Act apply;

                  (b)                 who, after analysis of the sample referred to in paragraph (b) of

that paragraph, has been offered a relevant assessment or, if a

relevant assessment has been carried out, has had relevant

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follow-up proposed to him; and

                  (c)                 who has agreed to undergo the relevant assessment or, as the

case may be, to participate in the relevant follow-up,

                         the court, if it grants bail, shall impose as a condition of bail that P both

undergo the relevant assessment and participate in any relevant

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follow-up proposed to him or, if a relevant assessment has been carried

out, that P participate in the relevant follow-up.

           (6E)              In subsections (6C) and (6D) above—

                  (a)                 “relevant assessment” means an assessment conducted by a

suitably qualified person of whether P is dependent upon or has

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a propensity to misuse any specified Class A drugs;

                  (b)                 “relevant follow-up” means, in a case where the person who

conducted the relevant assessment believes P to have such a

dependency or propensity, such further assessment, and such

assistance or treatment in connection with the dependency or

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propensity, as the person who conducted the relevant

assessment (or conducts any later assessment) considers to be

appropriate in P’s case,

                         and in paragraph (a) above “Class A drug” and “misuse” have the same

meaning as in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and “specified” (in relation

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to a Class A drug) has the same meaning as in Part 3 of the Criminal

Justice and Court Services Act 2000.”

     (3)    In section 3A (conditions of bail in case of police bail), for “, (6A) and (6B)” there

is substituted “ and (6A) to (6E)”.

     (4)    In Schedule 1 (which contains supplementary provisions about bail), in Part 1

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(imprisonable offences)—

           (a)           after paragraph 6 there is inserted—

“Exception applicable to drug users in certain areas

               6A                      Subject to paragraph 6C below, a defendant who falls within

paragraph 6B below may not be granted bail unless the court

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is satisfied that there is no significant risk of his committing

an offence while on bail; but this does not require the court, if

so satisfied, to grant bail (disregarding other considerations).

 

 

Criminal Justice Bill
Part 2 — Bail

    12

 

               6B                     (1)                      A defendant falls within this paragraph if—

                           (a)                          he is aged 18 or over;

                           (b)                          a sample taken—

                                 (i)                                under section 63B of the Police and Criminal

Evidence Act 1984 (testing for presence of

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Class A drugs) in connection with the offence;

or

                                 (ii)                               under section 145 of the Criminal Justice Act

2003 (drug testing after conviction of an

offence but before sentence),

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                                                        has revealed the presence in his body of a specified

Class A drug;

                           (c)                          either the offence is his having possession of any

specified Class A drug contrary to section 5(2) of the

Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, or the court is satisfied that

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there are substantial grounds for believing—

                                 (i)                                that misuse by him of any specified Class A

drug caused or contributed to the offence; or

                                 (ii)                               (even if it did not) that the offence was

motivated wholly or partly by his intended

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misuse of such a drug; and

                           (d)                          the condition set out in sub-paragraph (2) below is

satisfied.

                                    (2)                      The condition referred to is that after the taking and analysis

of the sample—

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                           (a)                          a relevant assessment has been offered to the

defendant but he does not agree to undergo it; or

                           (b)                          he has undergone a relevant assessment, and relevant

follow-up has been proposed to him, but he does not

agree to participate in it.

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                                    (3)                      In this paragraph and paragraph 6C below—

                           (a)                          “Class A drug” and “misuse” have the same meaning

as in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971;

                           (b)                          “relevant assessment” and “relevant follow-up” have

the meaning given by section 3(6E) of this Act;

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                           (c)                          “specified” (in relation to a Class A drug) has the

same meaning as in Part 3 of the Criminal Justice and

Court Services Act 2000.

               6C                      Paragraph 6A above does not apply unless—

                           (a)                          the court has been notified by the Secretary of State

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that arrangements for conducting a relevant

assessment or, as the case may be, providing relevant

follow-up have been made for the petty sessions area

in which it appears to the court that the defendant

would reside if granted bail; and

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                           (b)                          the notice has not been withdrawn.”,

           (b)           in paragraph 8, for “(4) to (7)” there is substituted “(4) to (6B) or (7)”, and

           (c)           in paragraph 9, before “of this Part” there is inserted “, or in deciding

whether it is satisfied as mentioned in paragraph 6A,”.

 

 

Criminal Justice Bill
Part 3 — Conditional cautions

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 17    Interpretation of Part 2

In this Part—

                      “bail” means bail in criminal proceedings (within the meaning of the 1976

Act),

                      “bail hostel” has the meaning given by section 2(2) of the 1976 Act,

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                      “the 1976 Act” means the Bail Act 1976 (c. 63),

                      “vary” has the same meaning as in the 1976 Act.

Part 3

Conditional cautions

 18    Conditional cautions

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     (1)    An authorised person may give a conditional caution to a person aged 18 or

over (“the offender”) if each of the five requirements in section 19 is satisfied.

     (2)    In this Part “conditional caution” means a caution which is given in respect of

an offence committed by the offender and which has conditions attached to it

with which the offender must comply.

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     (3)    The conditions which may be attached to such a caution are those which have

either or both of the following objects—

           (a)           ensuring or facilitating the rehabilitation of the offender,

           (b)           ensuring that he makes reparation for the offence.

     (4)    In this Part “authorised person” means—

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           (a)           a constable,

           (b)           an investigating officer, or

           (c)           a person authorised by Director of Public Prosecutions for the purposes

of this section.

 19    The five requirements

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     (1)    The first requirement is that the authorised person has evidence that the

offender has committed an offence.

     (2)    The second requirement is that the Director of Public Prosecutions decides—

           (a)           that there is sufficient evidence to charge the offender with the offence,

and

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           (b)           that a conditional caution should be given to the offender in respect of

the offence.

     (3)    The third requirement is that the offender admits to the authorised person that

he committed the offence.

     (4)    The fourth requirement is that the authorised person explains the effect of the

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conditional caution to the offender and warns him that failure to comply with

any of the conditions attached to the caution may result in his being prosecuted

for the offence.

     (5)    The fifth requirement is that the offender signs a document which contains—

           (a)           details of the offence,

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           (b)           an admission by him that he committed the offence,

 

 

Criminal Justice Bill
Part 3 — Conditional cautions

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           (c)           his consent to being given the conditional caution, and

           (d)           the conditions attached to the caution.

 20    Failure to comply with conditions

     (1)    If the offender fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any of the

conditions attached to the conditional caution, criminal proceedings may be

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instituted against the person for the offence in question.

     (2)    The document mentioned in section 19(5) is to be admissible in such

proceedings.

     (3)    Where such proceedings are instituted, the conditional caution is to cease to

have effect.

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 21    Code of practice

     (1)    The Secretary of State must prepare a code of practice in relation to conditional

cautions.

     (2)    The code may, in particular, include provision as to—

           (a)           the circumstances in which conditional cautions may be given,

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           (b)           the procedure to be followed in connection with the giving of such

cautions,

           (c)           the conditions which may be attached to such cautions and the time for

which they may have effect,

           (d)           the category of constable or investigating officer by whom such

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cautions may be given,

           (e)           the persons who may be authorised by the Director of Public

Prosecutions for the purposes of section 18,

           (f)           the form which such cautions are to take and the manner in which they

are to be given and recorded,

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           (g)           the places where such cautions may be given, and

           (h)           the monitoring of compliance with conditions attached to such

cautions.

     (3)    After preparing a draft of the code the Secretary of State—

           (a)           must publish the draft,

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           (b)           must consider any representations made to him about the draft, and

           (c)           may amend the draft accordingly,

            but he may not publish or amend the draft without the consent of the Attorney

General.

     (4)    After the Secretary of State has proceeded under subsection (3) he must lay the

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code before each House of Parliament.

     (5)    When he has done so he may bring the code into force by order.

     (6)    The Secretary of State may from time to time revise a code of practice brought

into force under this section.

     (7)    Subsections (3) to (6) are to apply (with appropriate modifications) to a revised

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code as they apply to an original code.

 

 

 
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Revised 21 November 2002