Criminal Justice Act 2003 (c. 44)

Part 12 U.K. Sentencing

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Pt. 12 modified (28.3.2009 for certain purposes, otherwise 31.10.2009) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), ss. 183(4), 383 (as amended (1.4.2008) by The Offender Management Act 2007 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/912), art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 23(2)(b)); S.I. 2009/812, art. 3 (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059); S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4

C2 Pt. 12 (ss. 142-305) modified (4.4.2005) by The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Sentencing) (Transitory Provisions) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/643), art. 3 (as amended (E.W.) (3.12.2012) by The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Consequential and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/2824), regs. 1, 3(1) (with reg. 3(2)))

Chapter 6 E+W [F1 Release, licences[F2 , supervision] and recall ]

Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. 12 Ch. 6 heading substituted (3.12.2012) by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), s. 151(1), Sch. 14 para. 16; S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(l)

F2 Word in Pt. 12 Ch. 6 heading inserted (1.2.2015) by Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 (c. 11), s. 22(1), Sch. 3 para. 15 (with Sch. 7 para. 2); S.I. 2015/40, art. 2(u)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C3 Pt. 12 Ch. 6 applied to any person serving a sentence for an offence committed before 4 April 2005 (whenever that sentence was or is imposed) by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), ss. 121(1), 151(1); S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(d)

C4 Pt. 12 Ch. 6 applied (1.2.2015) by Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 (c. 11), s. 22(1), Sch. 7 para. 2(a); S.I. 2015/40, art. 2(x)

Release on licence E+W

244 Duty to release prisoners E+W

(1) As soon as a fixed-term prisoner, other than a prisoner to whom section [F3 243A[F4 , 244A][F5 , 246A]][F6 , 247 or 247A] applies, has served the requisite custodial period [F7 for the purposes of this section], it is the duty of the Secretary of State to release him on licence under this section.

[F8 (1A) Subsection (1) does not apply if the prisoner has been released on licence under section 246 [F9 or 248] and recalled under section 254 (provision for the release of such persons being made by sections 255B and 255C).]

F10 (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(3) [F11 For the purposes of this section] “the requisite custodial period” means—

(a) [F12 in relation to a prisoner serving one sentence], one-half of his sentence,

F13 (b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F13 (c) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(d) in relation to a person serving two or more concurrent or consecutive sentences F14 ... , the period determined under sections 263(2) and 264(2).

[F15 (4) This section is subject to paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 25 and 28 of Schedule 20B (transitional cases).]

Textual Amendments

F3 Words in s. 244(1) inserted (3.12.2012) by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), s. 151(1), Sch. 14 para. 6(2)(a); S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(l)

F4 Word in s. 244(1) inserted (13.4.2015) by Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (c. 2), s. 95(1), Sch. 1 para. 5; S.I. 2015/778, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 72

F5 Word in s. 244(1) inserted (3.12.2012) by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), ss. 125(2), 151(1); S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(e)

F6 Words in s. 244(1) substituted (26.2.2020) by Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Act 2020 (c. 3), ss. 2(3), 10(4)

F7 Words in s. 244(1) inserted (3.12.2012) by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), s. 151(1), Sch. 14 para. 6(2)(b); S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(l)

F8 S. 244(1A) inserted (3.12.2012) by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), ss. 114(2), 151(1) (with Sch. 15); S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(d)

F9 Words in s. 244(1A) inserted (1.2.2015) by Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 (c. 11), ss. 9(2), 22(1) (with Sch. 7 para. 5); S.I. 2015/40, art. 2(i)

F10 S. 244(2) omitted (3.12.2012) by virtue of Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), s. 151(1), Sch. 10 para. 21(2); S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(h)

F11 Words in s. 244(3) substituted (3.12.2012) by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), s. 151(1), Sch. 14 para. 6(3)(a); S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(l)

F12 Words in s. 244(3)(a) substituted (1.2.2015) by Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 (c. 11), s. 22(1), Sch. 3 para. 18 (with Sch. 7 para. 2); S.I. 2015/40, art. 2(u)

F13 S. 244(3)(b)(c) omitted (3.12.2012) by virtue of Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), s. 151(1), Sch. 10 para. 21(3)(a); S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(h); S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(h)

F14 Words in s. 244(3)(d) omitted (3.12.2012) by virtue of Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), s. 151(1), Sch. 10 para. 21(3)(b); S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(h)

F15 S. 244(4) inserted (3.12.2012) by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), s. 151(1), Sch. 17 para. 2; S.I. 2012/2906, art. 2(o)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C5 S. 244(3)(a) modified (1.4.2020) by The Release of Prisoners (Alteration of Relevant Proportion of Sentence) Order 2020 (S.I. 2020/158), arts. 1, 3 (with art. 5)

Commencement Information

I1 S. 244 partly in force; s. 244 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 336(3); s. 244(1)(2)(3)(c)(d) in force for certain purposes at 26.1.2004 by S.I. 2003/3282, art. 2, Sch.; s. 244(1)(2)(3)(a)(d) 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)