Research Briefing
The Psychoactive Substances Bill 2015-16: Report on Committee Stage
This briefing paper is produced prior to the Report Stage of the Psychoactive Substances Bill 2015-16.
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Research Briefing
The Return of the Prisoner Voting Saga?
A recent judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), in the case of Delvigne, led to media headlines claiming it was lawful for Britain to ‘impose a voting ban on prisoners convicted of serious crimes’. However, the law regarding prisoner voting in France is substantially different to that in the UK.
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Research Briefing
Categorisation of prisoners in the UK
Prisoner categorisation centres around an assessment of risk and the need for supervision. Whether prisoners in England and Wales are being recategorised simply to fill spaces in open prisons remains controversial.
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Research Briefing
The Bail Accommodation and Support Service
Constituents sometimes express concerns about nearby properties they think might be housing ex-offenders. This note gives background on the Bail Accommodation and Support Service, which houses people on bail and released early from prison in the community.
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Debate Pack
Implementation of the Transforming Rehabilitation Programme
A Westminster Hall debate on the implementation of the Transforming Rehabilitation programme has been scheduled for Wednesday 28 October 2015 at 0930hrs. The member in charge of the debate is Stephen Kinnock.
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Research Briefing
Comparative Prison Sentences in the EU
This briefing provides a downloadable tool which allows the user to make a graphical comparison of unsuspended custodial sentences for like crimes across the EU. Two countries may be selected for comparison of nine different offence types, with graphs showing the percentage of custodial sanctions awarded by sentence length.
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Research Briefing
Key Issues for the 2015 Parliament
This book examines the key issues facing the House of Commons over the course of the 2015 Parliament - from the public finances to the UK’s membership of the EU and from school places for children to climate change.
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Research Briefing
Serious Crime Bill: Progress of the Bill
The Serious Crime Bill [HL] 2013-14 had its second reading in the Commons on 5 January 2015. Library Research Paper 14/67 Serious Crime Bill provides background on the proposals in the Bill.
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Research Briefing
Prisoners’ voting rights (2005 to May 2015)
Prisoners serving a custodial sentence do not have the right to vote under UK law. Prisoners on remand are able to vote under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 2000. This Standard Note provides a narrative of events from the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on 6 October 2005, in the case of Hirst v United Kingdom (No 2), to the May 2015 General Election.
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Research Briefing
Serious Crime Bill
This Bill would make changes aimed to strengthen the law on the recovery of the proceeds of crime. It would make amendments to the Computer Misuse Act 1990 to update existing offences. It would also provide for a new offence of participating in the activities of an organised crime group and make changes to Serious Crime Prevention Orders and gang injunctions. The Bill would provide for the seizure and forfeiture of substances used as drug-cutting agents. It would also amend the offence of child cruelty, create a new offence relating to the possession of ‘paedophile manuals’ and amend the law on Female Genital Mutilation. The Bill would create a new offence of unauthorised possession of a knife or other offensive weapon in prison and confer extra-territorial jurisdiction on the courts in respect of certain terrorism offences.
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Research Briefing
Criminal Justice and Courts Bill – Lords Amendments
This paper is designed to provide background information for Consideration of Lords Amendments of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, which is due to take place on 1 December 2014
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Research Briefing
Probation reforms 2014
Probation services are undergoing significant change, with the application of Payment by Resuts to the majority of rehabilitation work, and mandatory supervision of all offenders sentenced to less than 2 years in custody to be contracted out to a mix of providers. The new National Probation Service has managed high risk offenders since June 2014
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Research Briefing
Prisoners: Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme
In November 2013, the National Offender Management Service revised the Incentives and Earned Privileges scheme for prisoners. The changes have been controversial, particularly in relation to prisoners’ ability to have steel-stringed guitars or to receive books sent from outside prison. It was reported on 29 July 2014 that, in response to feedback from prison governors, the ban on steel-stringed guitars had been reversed, although the ban on receiving books would remain.
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Research Briefing
Criminal Justice and Courts Bill: Commons stages
The Criminal Justice and Courts Bill 2013-14 had its second reading on 24 February 2014 and was carried over to 2014-15 session. Library Research Paper 14/8 The Criminal Justice and Courts Bill provides background on the proposals in the Bill. There are four parts covering criminal justice, including offences relating to extreme pornographic images and release and recall of prisoners, young offenders, secure colleges and youth cautions, changes to courts and tribunals, including strict liability and jury misconduct, and judicial review changes, which attracted much written and oral evidence.
Total results (page 6 of 8)