Policy background Criminal Courts Introducing a new automatic online conviction and standard statutory penalty (AOCSSP) procedure
The then Government’s joint 2016 statement in response to its consultation "Transforming our Justice System" also set out its intentions to proceed with a new AOCSSP procedure, which would provide a new means of dealing with certain specified summary-only non-imprisonable offences. 9
	Many defendants prosecuted for these types of offences can already choose to enter a plea in writing/online and have their case dealt with by a single magistrate (supported by a legal advisor) "on the papers" outside of a magistrates’ court hearing via the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), which was established under the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 ("the CJCA 2015").
	The criminal court measures in this Act will introduce the new AOCSSP procedure for certain summary-only non-imprisonable offences that will enable these cases to take place entirely online and without the involvement of a magistrate. Eligible offences will be specified in secondary legislation made by the Secretary of State and will need to be agreed by Parliament by the affirmative procedure. These will be the most straightforward cases and the Government’s intention is to initially apply this provision to travelling on a train or tram without a ticket and fishing with an unlicensed rod. Defendants will be required to opt-in for this procedure and choose to receive the automatic online conviction and the penalty specified for their offence.