NCJ Number
143381
Date Published
1993
Length
42 pages
Annotation
This document describes the criminal justice system in England and Wales, as it operated at the end of 1992.
Abstract
The historical development of criminal law and procedures in England and Wales is rooted in the expansion of legal institutions that followed the conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in 1066. Wales was incorporated into the common law framework in 1535. The law in England and Wales comprises the common law and the statute law. The organizational components of the criminal justice system include the government, criminal justice committees, police, courts, probation service, prison service, and Crown Prosecution Service. Procedures within the criminal justice system include detection and charging, remands, categories of offenses, magistrates' proceedings, trial by jury, and juvenile proceedings. Sentencing can take the form of imprisonment, suspended sentence, community penalty, fines, discharge, compensation, and capital punishment. There are also contingencies for appeals and early release. Current statistical trends outlined here include recorded offenses, offenders, sentencing and the prison population. The document contains 1 table and 2 figures.