Overview

The Criminal Justice Bill aims to strengthen criminal law and justice processes in the UK. It introduces new offences, increases penalties for existing ones, expands police powers, and implements changes to sentencing and offender management. The bill also addresses nuisance begging and rough sleeping, and enhances ethical policing standards.

Description

This wide-ranging bill covers numerous aspects of the criminal justice system. Key changes include:

• New Offences: Creation of offences relating to possessing or supplying items used in serious crime (e.g., 3D-printed firearm templates, SIM farms), encouraging or assisting serious self-harm, and administering harmful substances (including spiking).
• Increased Penalties: Higher maximum penalties for offences involving offensive weapons.
• Expanded Police Powers: Increased police powers to test individuals for controlled drugs upon arrest (inside and outside of detention), seize bladed articles, and enter premises without a warrant under certain circumstances.
• Sentencing and Offender Management: Introduction of powers to compel attendance at sentencing hearings, designation of sexual grooming and relationship end as aggravating factors in murder cases, and expansion of polygraph conditions for certain offenders.
• International Prisoner Transfers: New framework for transferring prisoners to and from foreign prisons.
• Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPOs): Introduction of electronic monitoring requirements for SCPOs, and changes to who can apply for SCPOs and in which courts.
• Nuisance Begging and Rough Sleeping: Introduction of directions, prevention notices, and prevention orders to address nuisance begging and rough sleeping in specified locations. These include new offenses for engaging in such activities.
• Anti-social Behaviour: Changes to injunctions, dispersal powers, and fixed penalty notices, along with provisions for local authority involvement.
• Ethical Policing: Requirement for the College of Policing to issue a code of practice on ethical policing, including a duty of candour.
• Appeals: Amendments to provisions regarding appeals to police appeals tribunals.
• Confiscation: Significant changes to confiscation orders, including a new principal objective, amendments to the definition of “criminal lifestyle,” and provisions for provisional discharge and enforcement plans.
• Suspended Accounts Scheme: Power for the Secretary of State to establish a scheme for managing funds from suspended bank accounts linked to economic crime.

Government Spending

The bill's impact on government spending is not explicitly stated but is likely to increase due to the costs of implementing new measures, including the suspended accounts scheme and expanded policing powers. Additional resources for training, technology, and court processes will also be needed.

Groups Affected

• Criminals: Facing increased penalties and new offenses.
• Police: Given expanded powers and responsibilities.
• Victims of Crime: Potentially benefitting from changes to sentencing and confiscation orders.
• Businesses and Financial Institutions: Affected by the introduction of the suspended accounts scheme and the provisions relating to notification requirements under SCPOs.
• Individuals involved in nuisance begging or rough sleeping: Subject to new directions, notices, and orders.
• Local Authorities: Given greater responsibilities in managing anti-social behavior.
• Courts: Will need to implement the new provisions concerning sentencing, confiscation, and SCPOs.

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