Criminal Justice Act 1991

27 Treatment of offenders under 1983 Act

(1) After section 39 of the 1983 Act there shall be inserted the following section—

“39A Information to facilitate guardianship orders

Where a court is minded to make a guardianship order in respect of any offender, it may request the local social services authority for the area in which the offender resides or last resided, or any other local social services authority that appears to the court to be appropriate—

(a) to inform the court whether it or any other person approved by it is willing to receive the offender into guardianship; and

(b) if so, to give such information as it reasonably can about how it or the other person could be expected to exercise in relation to the offender the powers conferred by section 40(2) below;

and that authority shall comply with any such request.”

(2) After section 54 of that Act there shall be inserted the following section—

“54A Reduction of period for making hospital orders

(1) The Secretary of State may by order reduce the length of the periods mentioned in sections 37(4) and (5) and 38(4) above.

(2) An order under subsection (1) above may make such consequential amendments of sections 40(1) and 44(3) above as appear to the Secretary of State to be necessary or expedient.”

(3) In section 143(2) of that Act (general provisions as to regulations, orders and rules), after the words “this Act” there shall be inserted the words “or any order made under section 54A above”.