Search Legislation

Convention Rights (Compliance) (Scotland) Act 2001

 Help about what version

What Version

 Help about advanced features

Advanced Features

Changes over time for: PART 1

 Help about opening options

Version Superseded: 27/06/2003

Alternative versions:

Status:

Point in time view as at 10/08/2001. This version of this part contains provisions that are not valid for this point in time. Help about Status

Close

Status

Not valid for this point in time generally means that a provision was not in force for the point in time you have selected to view it on.

Changes to legislation:

There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Convention Rights (Compliance) (Scotland) Act 2001, PART 1 . Help about Changes to Legislation

Close

Changes to Legislation

Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.

PART 1 S EXISTING LIFE PRISONERS

1SThis Part of this schedule applies to a life prisoner—

(a)who was, prior to the relevant date, sentenced for murder committed by the prisoner when aged 18 or over; or

(b)in respect of whom, the Lord Justice General or the Lord Justice Clerk has issued a certificate under—

(i)paragraph 6(1) of Schedule 6 to the 1993 Act; or

(ii)section 16(2) of the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997 (c.48).

2SIn this Part of this schedule—

  • existing life prisoner” means a life prisoner to whom this Part of this schedule applies by virtue of paragraph 1 above;

  • incapable” means incapable by reason of mental disorder or of inability to communicate because of physical disability; but a person shall not fall within this definition by reason only of a lack or deficiency in a faculty of communication if that lack or deficiency can be made good by human or mechanical aid (whether of an interpretative nature or otherwise);

  • life prisoner” has the same meaning as it has in section 27(1) as read with section 6 of the 1993 Act;

  • mental disorder” has the same meaning as it has in section 87 of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 (asp 4);

  • punishment part” has the same meaning as it has in section 2(2) of the 1993 Act;

  • relevant date” means the date when this Part of this schedule comes into force.

3SThe Scottish Ministers shall, as soon as reasonably practicable after the relevant date, refer the case of an existing life prisoner, except the case of such a prisoner who was released on licence under section 3 of the 1993 Act, to the High Court of Justiciary for a hearing under paragraph 12 below.

4SThe Scottish Ministers shall not so refer the case of an existing life prisoner to whom Part 3 of this schedule applies if the prisoner has, under paragraph 7 below, waived the entitlement to such a hearing.

5SThe Scottish Ministers shall not refer the case of an existing life prisoner who was released on licence under section 3 of the 1993 Act to the High Court of Justiciary under paragraph 3 above unless—

(a)the prisoner has been recalled to prison under section 17(1) of the 1993 Act; and

(b)the Parole Board has not directed that the prisoner be released on licence immediately under section 17(4) of that Act.

6SThe Scottish Ministers shall not so refer the case of an existing life prisoner to whom paragraph 1(b) above applies if the prisoner—

(a)has, under paragraph 7 below, waived the entitlement to such a hearing; or

(b)has served the part of the sentence specified in the certificate referred to in paragraph 1(b) above issued in respect of that prisoner.

7SAn existing life prisoner to whom Part 3 of this schedule or paragraph 1(b) above applies may waive the entitlement to a hearing under paragraph 12 below provided—

(a)the prisoner has had independent legal advice or has declined such advice; and

(b)a copy in writing of the waiver is sent to the Scottish Ministers.

Valid from 27/06/2003

[F17ASIn the case of a prisoner to whom paragraph 6 above applies, Part 1 of the 1993 Act as amended by this Act shall apply as if the part of the prisoner’s sentence specified in the certificate mentioned in paragraph 1(b) above were a punishment part specified under section 2(2) of the 1993 Act as amended by this Act.]

8SNotwithstanding paragraph 3 above, an existing life prisoner—

(a)who has not, under paragraph 7 above, waived the entitlement to a hearing; or

(b)who has not served the part of the sentence specified in the certificate referred to in paragraph 1(b) above issued in respect of that prisoner,

may refer his or her case for a hearing under paragraph 12 below.

9SThe Scottish Ministers shall, no later than two weeks after the referral of an existing life prisoner’s case under paragraph 3 or 8 above, send the documents and other information mentioned in paragraph 10 below to—

(a)the High Court of Justiciary;

(b)the Lord Advocate; and

(c)the existing life prisoner.

10SThe documents and other information referred to in paragraph 9 above are—

(a)a copy of the indictment;

(b)subject to paragraph 11 below, a copy of any report by the trial judge;

(c)a copy of any certificate as is referred to in paragraph 1(b) above;

(d)any other documents or information which the Scottish Ministers consider relevant.

11SA report prepared by the trial judge—

(a)may be sent under paragraph 9 above notwithstanding that it was prepared on the basis that it would not be disclosed to the existing life prisoner; and

(b)shall be so sent for the purposes only of the hearing under paragraph 12 below.

12SThere shall be a hearing, at which the High Court of Justiciary shall make the order referred to in paragraph 13 below.

13SThat order is an order specifying a part of the sentence which the court considers would have been specified as the punishment part under subsection (2) of section 2 of the 1993 Act had that section, as amended by this Act, applied to that prisoner at the time he or she was sentenced.

14SIt shall not be a ground of appeal in relation to the part of the sentence specified in the order made under paragraph 12 above that the court had regard to any certificate as is referred to in paragraph 1(b) above or to any recommendation made under section 205(4) of the 1995 Act as to the minimum period which should elapse before the Scottish Ministers release the prisoner on licence.

15SThe court shall pronounce the order under paragraph 12 above in open court.

16If the court is satisfied that the transferred life prisoner is incapable of properly instructing a solicitor in relation to the hearing under paragraph 12 above, whether or not the prisoner has so instructed a solicitor, it shall not make the order under that paragraph.

17SIf the Scottish Ministers are satisfied that the prisoner is no longer incapable of instructing a solicitor in relation to the hearing under paragraph 12 above, they shall, as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter, refer the case of the prisoner to the court for such a hearing.

18SNothing in this Part of this schedule shall be taken as preventing a prisoner, in respect of whom the court declined, under paragraph 16 above, to make the order under paragraph 12 above, from again referring his or her case for a hearing under paragraph 12 above.

19Where the court has made an order under paragraph 12 above in the case of an existing life prisoner to whom paragraph 1(b) above applies, the certificate referred to in that subsection shall have no further effect.

20SSection 2 of the 1993 Act as amended by this Act shall apply to the existing life prisoner as if the order under paragraph 12 above were an order such as is mentioned in subsection (2) of that section and had been made at the time the existing life prisoner was sentenced.

21SA hearing under paragraph 12 above shall be criminal procedure for the purposes of section 305 of the 1995 Act (power of High Court of Justiciary to regulate criminal procedure by Act of Adjournal).

22SThe court, in considering the case of an existing life prisoner—

(a)who is serving more than one sentence of imprisonment for life; and

(b)two or more of whose life sentences were imposed in proceedings on a single indictment,

shall, in making the order under paragraph 12 above, proceed as if section 205D of the 1995 Act had been in force at the time the prisoner was sentenced.

23SIn the case of an existing life prisoner—

(a)whose case was, before the relevant date, referred to the Parole Board under section 28(4) of the Prisons (Scotland) Act 1989 (c.45) (in this schedule, “the 1989 Act”) or under section 2 or 17(3) of the 1993 Act and, in respect of whom, the Board declined to direct the prisoner’s release on licence; or

(b)who was, before the relevant date, recalled to prison under section 28(1) or (2) of the 1989 Act or section 17(1) of the 1993 Act and not thereafter released,

the Board shall, as soon as reasonably practicable after the relevant date, fix the date when it will next consider the prisoner’s case, being a date no later than two years after the date of its decision to decline to direct the release of the prisoner or the date when the prisoner was recalled to prison, whichever is the later; and the date so fixed shall be treated as fixed under section 2(5A)(b) of the 1993 Act.

24SThe references in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of paragraph 23 above to sections 2 and 17 of the 1993 Act are references to those sections as they had effect immediately before the relevant date.

25SAn existing life prisoner who, before the relevant date, has been or is released on licence, otherwise than under section 3 (release on compassionate grounds) of the 1993 Act, shall, at the relevant date, be deemed to have been released on licence under section 2(4) of the 1993 Act as if that prisoner had been a life prisoner to whom that section applied and who had served the punishment part of his or her sentence.

26SWhere an existing life prisoner released on licence is treated by virtue of paragraph 25 above as a prisoner whose licence was granted under section 2(4) of the 1993 Act, the validity of his or her licence shall not be affected by the absence in the licence of such a condition as is specified in section 12(2) of that Act.

Back to top

Options/Help

Print Options

Close

Legislation is available in different versions:

Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.

Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.

Point in Time: This becomes available after navigating to view revised legislation as it stood at a certain point in time via Advanced Features > Show Timeline of Changes or via a point in time advanced search.

Close

See additional information alongside the content

Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.

Close

Opening Options

Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once

Close

Explanatory Notes

Text created by the Scottish Government to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Acts of the Scottish Parliament except those which result from Budget Bills.

Close

More Resources

Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • correction slips
  • links to related legislation and further information resources
Close

Timeline of Changes

This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.

Close

More Resources

Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • correction slips

Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:

  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • links to related legislation and further information resources