Overview of the Act
- The purpose of the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Act 2020 is to ensure that terrorist offenders are not automatically released before the end of their custodial term without agreement of the Parole Board.
- The provisions in the Act change the release point for offenders who have committed a relevant terrorism offence and refer those offenders to the Parole Board at the two-thirds point of the sentence. The changes will apply to offenders currently serving a custodial sentence for terrorist offences, as well as to future terrorist offenders who receive a standard determinate sentence or (in England and Wales) sentence for offenders of particular concern (SOPC). This will include terrorist offenders aged under 18 who have been, or in the future will be, sentenced under section 91 of the Powers of Criminal Courts Sentencing Act 2000 (which is a fixed term sentence and applies to offences where an adult over 21 could receive a sentence of 14 years or more) or children detained in solemn proceedings under section 208 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 ("the 1995 Act") in Scotland. The Act does not retrospectively alter a serving offender’s sentence as imposed by the court, or alter the maximum penalties for offences.
