Criminal Justice (Juvenile Offenders) Bill 2023

Public bill · Private Member · Introduced

The bill would give judges more flexibility when sentencing young people who offend. It would let courts avoid an automatic life sentence for murder or treason where the offender was a child, allow suspended sentences to be used for juvenile offenders, and let judges set more varied detention-and-supervision terms instead of being forced into a fixed half-and-half split. It matters because, as noted in the explanatory memorandum, the current rules can create unfair results when a case is not dealt with until the person has turned 18.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to amend the Criminal Justice Act 1990 to provide for non-mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders in cases of treason and murder, to expand the provisions of section 99 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 relating to suspended sentences to include juvenile offenders, and to amend the Children Act 2001 to allow judicial discretion in setting the terms of a detention and supervision order.

Last updated 30 January 2025