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CROSS BORDER TRANSFER OF ORDERS CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT 2003

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CHAPTER 3. PART 1 : CUSTODY PLUS ORDERS

Definition

3.1 Where an English court passing a sentence of imprisonment of less than 12 months does not make a Suspended Sentence Order, it has to make a Custody Plus Order (Part 1 of this Chapter) or an Intermittent Custody Order (Part 2 of this Chapter.)

3.2 The length of the sentence must:

3.2.1 be expressed in weeks

3.2.2 be at least 28 weeks

3.2.3 not exceed 51 weeks in respect of any single offence

3.2.4 not exceed the maximum term permitted for that offence.

3.3 The court when passing sentence must:

3.3.1 specify the custodial period at the end of which the offender is to be released on licence, and

3.3.2 require the licence to contain one or more requirements.

This licence period is referred to as the Custody Plus Order.

3.4 The custodial period must be at least 2 weeks but not more than 13 weeks in respect of any single offence.

3.5 The licence period must be at least 26 weeks in length.

3.6 Where consecutive sentences of imprisonment are given, the total must not be more than 65 weeks and the aggregate length of the custodial periods must not exceed 26 weeks.

Licence Conditions

3.7 Where more than one requirement is ordered as part of the licence, the court may instruct different time periods in relation to each requirement. ( Of course, the total period of the licence cannot be exceeded.)

3.8 The different requirements that can be ordered as a condition of licence are as follows:

(a) unpaid work (community service)

(b) activity (not transferable to Scotland)

(c) programme (not transferable to Scotland)

(d) prohibited activity

(e) curfew (normally electronically monitored)

(f) exclusion (normally electronically monitored)

(g) supervision

(h) attendance centre (under 25 year olds) (not transferable to Scotland.)

3.9 A requirement of electronic monitoring may be made in addition to any other requirement(s) imposed.

3.10 Of the requirements listed above, three may not be transferred to Scotland: activity, programme and attendance centre requirements.

3.10.1 In the case of activity requirements, there is no Scottish reparative equivalent. Three areas are piloting the new Scottish Community Reparation Order, but even here our maximum penalty is 100 hours to be completed within 12 months. The English activity requirement is stated in days to be done, maximum 60 days, and so there is no corresponding Scottish structure.

3.10.2 In the case of programme requirements, it is an English statutory requirement that all such programmes are restricted to accredited programmes accredited by the accreditation body. At present, the Scottish Accreditation Body has not accredited any programme in Scotland. When it does so, transfers may be accepted from England for those programmes by the areas so accredited.

3.10.3 In the case of attendance centre requirements, there is a statutory ban on transfer - we have no such facility in Scotland.

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Page updated: Wednesday, April 27, 2005