Overview of the Act Prisoners on early release Section 85 – Sentencing under the 1995 Act
220.Section 85 of the Act inserts a new section 200A into the 1995 Act. New section 200A(1) of the 1995 Act provides that when the court is dealing with a person who has been found to have committed an offence that is capable of being punishable with imprisonment (except where the offence is such that the court is required to impose a life sentence), the court must so far as is reasonably practicable ascertain whether the person was on early release from a previous sentence at the time the offence was committed.
221.Part I of the Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993 (“the 1993 Act”), Part II of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 or Part 12 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 provide for the operation of release from custody of a prisoner prior to the end of a prisoner’s sentence. The operation of these provisions is commonly known as “early release” arrangements. For the purposes of new section 200A, new section 200A(3) provides that a person is on early release if they are not in custody as a result of the operation of Part I of the 1993 Act, Part II of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 or Part 12 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
222.Section 16 of the 1993 Act provides the court with a power to be able to punish a person who commits an offence while on early release. This power is separate and additional to the normal powers of the court to sentence the person for having committed the offence. These powers are commonly known as section 16 orders and can be seen as a punishment on a person for having abused the trust placed in them by committing an offence while on early release.
223.New section 200A(2) provides that where the court has determined under new section 200A(1) that a person was on early release at the time the offence was committed, the court must consider making a section 16 order.
224.New section 200A(2) also provides that in the case where the court dealing with the offence is inferior to the court which imposed the previous sentence from which the person was released early, an inferior court must consider making a reference to the court which imposed the previous sentence so that they can consider making a section 16 order. This is subject to the new powers being given to inferior courts to make section 16 orders contained in section 73(4) of the Act.