NCJ Number
133585
Date Published
1991
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The Criminal Justice Act 1991 has made many changes that will affect juvenile and young adult offenders aged 10-21 in the United Kingdom, particularly in its restrictions on the incarceration of these offenders.
Abstract
Before sentencing a youthful offender to incarceration, the court must state that the offense, alone or in combination with one other associated offense, was so serious that only incarceration is justified or that incarceration is needed to protect the public from a violent or sex offender. In reaching an assessment of seriousness, courts must consider aggravating and mitigating factors as well. The new law also focuses on presentence reports, the use of fines that are related to the offender's ability to pay, juvenile detention, community-based correctional alternatives to institutionalization, and parental responsibility for fines or other aspects of juvenile cases.