Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Seventh Report - The role of adult custodial remand in the criminal justice system
Justice Committee
HC 264
Published 17 January 2023
Recommendations
19
Rejected
Ensure acquitted individuals receive resettlement support, accommodation assistance, and discharge grants.
Recommendation
It is simply wrong that those who are remanded to custody, potentially for long periods of time, and are then acquitted, have no entitlement to resettlement support. Although they may not fall technically within the responsibility of probation services, the …
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Government Response Summary
The government explicitly rejected the recommendation, explaining that comprehensive guidance on bail conditions already exists in the Adult Court Bench Book and that a new framework would risk complicating the process, without addressing resettlement support for acquitted individuals.
Ministry of Justice
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Conclusions (2)
1
Conclusion
Rejected
Para 12
We are concerned by the increasing size of the remand population, and in particular by evidence of the increasing length of time people are spending in custody on remand. Efforts need to be focused on reducing this population and bringing forward the hearing dates of trials. A significant proportion of …
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation for a rapid evidence review, stating that work is already underway to consider evidence and risks, and the impact on the remand population is modelled in existing prison population projections.
5
Conclusion
Rejected
Para 37
We have not identified significant issues with the legal framework set out in the Bail Act 1976 but have heard repeatedly that the application of the framework is becoming increasingly risk-averse when it comes to rebutting the presumption of bail. We believe this merits further investigation, and so recommend that …
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation, stating that numerous safeguards and a clear legal framework already exist for pre-trial detention and bail decisions, and it has no intention to review the Bail Act 1976 at this time.