Criminal law
This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on criminal law. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.
Standard Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 04.03.2013 | Calls for reform of the criminal law on child neglect |
| The current criminal offence of child neglect is set out in section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. The charity Action for Children has launched a campaign calling for reform of the law, arguing that the legislation needs to "catch up" with modern society's understanding of neglect. However, the Government has said it has no plans to change the law in this area as the courts and children's services already interpret the 1933 Act "in a contemporary way". | |
| 14.02.2013 | Domestic violence |
| Domestic violence accounted for 15% of all violent incidents in 2011/12. Nearly one third of women and nearly one fifth of men say they have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16. This standard note looks at the Goverment's policy on this area. | |
| 06.02.2013 | Extradition and the European Arrest Warrant - Recent Developments |
| This note is designed to complement two earlier Standard Notes on extradition namely: 'The UK/US Extradition Treaty' (SN/HA/2204) and 'The introduction of the European Arrest Warrant' (SN/HA/1703) which each set out background information to the introduction of the current extradition regime (governed by the Extradition Act 2003). | |
| 05.02.2013 | Reductions in sentence for a guilty plea |
| Offenders who plead guilty in court will usually receive a reduced sentence compared to that they would have received had they been convicted following a not guilty plea. The maximum discount is currently one third. This note describes the rationale for reduced sentences for those who plead guilty. | |
| 30.01.2013 | The retention and disclosure of criminal records |
| This note sets out the rules in England and Wales governing the retention and disclosure of conviction and non-conviction information held on the Police National Computer and the Police National Database. |
Research Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 03.12.2012 | Police (Complaints and Conduct) Bill |
| This Bill is due to go through all its Commons stages under the Fast-Track procedure on 5 December 2012. It would make two changes to the powers of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. These are designed to enable the Commission to investigate allegations against the police in relation to the Hillsborough disaster. The Bill has reportedly been welcomed by the Opposition. It extends to England and Wales, and parts of it extend to the whole UK. | |
| 20.10.2011 | Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill Committee Stage Report |
| 05.07.2011 | Police (Detention and Bail) Bill |
| This Research Paper has been prepared for the Commons stages of the Police (Detention and Bail) Bill, which is being fast-tracked and is due to undergo all of its remaining Commons stages on 7 July 2011. The Bill would reverse the effect of the High Court's recent decision in the Hookway case, in which it held that the 'detention clock' limiting the period that the police can hold a suspect for without charge continued to run when the suspect was released on bail | |
| 04.07.2011 | Legal aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill Bill No 205 of 2010-12 |
| This Research Paper has been prepared for the second reading of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. The Bill covers a diverse range of issues, including legal aid; litigation funding and costs; sentencing; bail, remand and release on licence; prisoners' pay and employment; out of court disposals and knives. | |
| 01.03.2010 | Bribery Bill [HL] Bill No 69 |
| The purpose of the Bill is to provide a modern and comprehensive scheme of bribery offences to equip prosecutors and courts to deal effectively with bribery in the UK and abroad. It replaces old and fragmented legislation with a modern and consolidated bribery law. The Bill creates offences of offering, promising or giving of a bribe and requesting, agreeing to receive or accepting of a bribe either in the UK or abroad, in the public or private sectors. It also creates a discrete offence of bribery of a foreign public official in order to obtain or retain business, and a new offence in relation to commercial organisations which fail to prevent a bribe being paid by those who perform services for or on behalf of the organisation. |
Select Committee Reports
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 26.01.2010 | Appointment of HM CPS Chief Inspector. |
| Justice Select Committee report [Commons] | |
| 05.05.2009 | Procedural rights in EU criminal proceedings. |
| European Union Select Committee (HL) report [Lords] | |
| 31.03.2009 | Legislative scrutiny: Policing and Crime Bill. |
| Human Rights Joint Select Committee report [Commons and Lords] |
Early Day Motions
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 14.12.2009 | AUTOMATISM AS A DEFENCE IN LAW |
| That this House considers current UK law which provides sleepwalking as a defence for rape or murder to be grossly unreasonable following recent cases, including a not guilty verdict ... | |
| 18.11.2009 | CRIMINAL LAW (S.I., 2009, NO. 2773) |
| That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Conditional Cautions: Financial Penalties) Order 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 2773), dated 15 ... | |
| 18.11.2009 | CRIMINAL LAW (S.I., 2009, No. 2720) |
| That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Costs in Criminal Cases (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 2720), dated 8 October 2009, a copy ... | |
| 15.10.2009 | CRIMINAL LAW (S.I., 2009, No. 2720) |
| That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Costs in Criminal Cases (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 2720), dated 8 October 2009, a copy ... | |
| 20.07.2009 | MAGISTRATES' COURTS (S.I., 2009, No. 1496) |
| That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Magistrates' Courts Fees (Amendment) Order 2009, (S.I., 2009, No. 1496), dated 10 June 2009, a copy of which was ... |
Lords Library Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 15.11.2011 | Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (HL Bill 109 of 2010-12) |
| This Library Note provides background information in advance of the second reading in the House of Lords of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. | |
| 15.03.2007 | Fraud (Trials without a Jury) Bill. LLN 2007/002 |
| 02.02.2007 | Serious Crime Bill (HL Bill 27, 2006-07). LLN 2007/001 |
| Serious Crime Bill. House of Lords Library Note 2007/001 |
