Criminal Justice Act 2003

260 Early removal of prisoners liable to removal from United Kingdom E+W

[F1 (1) Where a fixed-term prisoner is liable to removal from the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State may remove the prisoner from prison under this section at any time after the prisoner has served the minimum pre-removal custodial period (whether or not the Board has directed the prisoner’s release under this Chapter).

(2) The minimum pre-removal custodial period is the longer of—

(a) one half of the requisite custodial period, and

(b) the requisite custodial period less [F2 545 days].]

[F3 (2C) [F4 Subsection (1) does] do not apply in relation to a prisoner to whom section 247A applies.]

F5 (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F6 (3A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(4) A prisoner removed from prison under this section—

(a) is so removed only for the purpose of enabling the Secretary of State to remove him from the United Kingdom under powers conferred by—

(i) Schedule 2 or 3 to the Immigration Act 1971, or

(ii) section 10 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (c. 33), and

[F7 (b) so long as remaining in the United Kingdom, and in the event of a return to the United Kingdom after removal, is liable to be detained in pursuance of his sentence.]

[F8 (4A) Where a person has been removed from prison under this section, a day on which the person has not spent any part of the day in prison or otherwise detained in pursuance of their sentence is not, unless the Secretary of State otherwise directs, to be included—

(a) when determining for the purposes of any provision of this Chapter how much of their sentence they have (or would have) served, or

(b) when determining for the purposes of section 244ZC(2), 244A(2)(b) or 246A(4)(b) the date of an anniversary of a disposal of a reference of the person’s case to the Board (so that the anniversary is treated as falling x days after the actual anniversary, where x is the number of days on which the person has not spent any part of the day in prison or otherwise detained in pursuance of their sentence).

(4B) Where—

(a) before a prisoner’s removal from prison under this section their case had been referred to the Board under section 244ZB(3), 244ZC(2), 244A(2) or 246A(4), and

(b) the person is removed from the United Kingdom before the Board has disposed of the reference,

the reference lapses upon the person’s removal from the United Kingdom (and paragraph 8 of Schedule 19B applies in the event of their return).]

F9 (5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(6) The Secretary of State may by order—

[F10 (a) amend the fraction for the time being specified in subsection (2)(a);

(b) amend the time period for the time being specified in subsection (2)(b).]

F11 (7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F12 (8) Paragraphs 36 and 37 of Schedule 20B (transitional cases) make further provision about early removal of certain prisoners.]

[F13 (9) Subsection (2C) does not affect the continued liability to detention under subsection (4)(b) of a prisoner removed from prison under this section before subsection (2C) came into force and in such a case—

(a) the “requisite custodial period” in subsection (4)(b) has the meaning given by section 247A(8), and

(b) subsection (5) is to be read as including reference to section 247A.]

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 260(1)(2) substituted for s. 260(1)-(2B) (28.6.2022) by Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (c. 36), ss. 47(3), 87(1); S.I. 2022/590, regs. 1(2), 2, Sch. 1 para. 24 (with Sch. 2 para. 9)

F2 Words in s. 260(2)(b) substituted (16.1.2024) by The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Removal of Prisoners for Deportation) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/1368), arts. 1(2), 2

F3 S. 260(2C) inserted (26.2.2020) by Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Act 2020 (c. 3), ss. 7(5)(c), 10(4)

F4 Words in s. 260(2C) substituted (28.6.2022) by Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (c. 36), ss. 47(4), 87(1); S.I. 2022/590, regs. 1(2), 2, Sch. 1 para. 24 (with Sch. 2 para. 9)

F5 S. 260(3) repealed (3.11.2008) by Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (c. 4), ss. 34(6), 149, 153, Sch. 28 Pt. 2; S.I. 2008/2712, art. 2, Sch. paras. 5, 19(2)(b) (subject to arts. 3, 4)

F6 S. 260(3A) repealed (31.10.2009) by Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (c. 4), ss. 34(6), 149, 153(7), Sch. 28 Pt. 2; S.I. 2009/2606, art. 3(j)(i)

F7 S. 260(4)(b) substituted (28.6.2022) by Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (c. 36), ss. 47(5), 87(1); S.I. 2022/590, regs. 1(2), 2, Sch. 1 para. 24 (with Sch. 2 para. 9)

F8 S. 260(4A)(4B) inserted (28.6.2022) by Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (c. 36), ss. 47(6), 87(1); S.I. 2022/590, regs. 1(2), 2, Sch. 1 para. 24 (with Sch. 2 para. 9)

F9 S. 260(5) omitted (28.6.2022) by virtue of Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (c. 36), ss. 47(7), 87(1); S.I. 2022/590, regs. 1(2), 2, Sch. 1 para. 24 (with Sch. 2 para. 9)

F10 S. 260(6)(a)(b) substituted for s. 260(6)(a)-(c) (28.6.2022) by Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (c. 36), ss. 47(8), 87(1); S.I. 2022/590, regs. 1(2), 2, Sch. 1 para. 24 (with Sch. 2 para. 9)

F11 S. 260(7) omitted (13.4.2015) by virtue of Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (c. 2), ss. 14(4), 95(1) (with s. 14(7)); S.I. 2015/778, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 10

F12 S. 260(8) inserted (3.12.2012) by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), s. 151(1), Sch. 17 para. 6; S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(o)

F13 S. 260(9) inserted (26.2.2020) by Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Act 2020 (c. 3), ss. 7(5)(d), 10(4)

Commencement Information

I1 S. 260 wholly in force at 4.4.2005; s. 260 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 336(3); s. 260(6) in force at 7.3.2005 by S.I. 2005/373, art. 2; s. 260 in force in so far as not already in force at 4.4.2005 by S.I. 2005/950, art. 2(1), Sch. 1 para. 19 (subject to art. 2(2), Sch. 2)