In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them—

• “the 1975 Act” means the [1975 c. 21.] Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975;

• “court” does not include a court-martial;

• “criminal prisoner” means a person committed to prison in respect of a charge or conviction of a criminal offence and “civil prisoner” includes any other prisoner;

• “local review committee” has the same meaning as in section 18(5) of this Act;

• “Parole Board” means the Parole Board for Scotland;

• “prison” includes any prison other than a naval, military or air force prison;

• “prisoner” means a person committed for trial, safe custody, punishment or otherwise; and

• “sentence of imprisonment” does not include a committal in default of payment of any sum of money or for failure to do or abstain from doing anything required to be done or left undone.

For the purposes of any reference, however expressed, in this Act (other than in section 25) to the term of imprisonment or other detention to which a person has been sentenced or which, or part of which, he has served, consecutive terms and terms which are wholly or partly concurrent shall be treated as a single term.

Any reference in this Act, however expressed, to a previous conviction or sentence shall be construed as a reference to a previous conviction by a court in any part of Great Britain and to a previous sentence passed by any such court.

Any reference in this Act to an offence punishable with imprisonment shall be construed, in relation to any offender, without regard to any prohibition or restriction imposed by or under any enactment on the imprisonment of offenders of his age.

References, however expressed, in this Act (other than in section 30) to imprisonment shall, so far as those provisions apply to institutions provided under section 19 of this Act, be construed as including detention in those institutions.

For the purpose of this Act the maintenance of a prisoner shall include all necessary expenses incurred in respect of the prisoner for food, clothing, custody and removal from one place to another from the period from the date of the order for his committal to prison until his death or discharge from prison.

Where the age of any person at any time is material for the purposes of any provision of this Act regulating the powers of a court, his age at the material time shall be deemed to be or to have been that which appears to the court, after considering any available evidence, to be or to have been his age at that time.