Publisher's Synopsis
This Act follows the 1998 consultation paper, "Joining Forces to Protect the Public". The act aims to protect the public and to reduce re-offending through the effective enforcement of community sentences. It is in four parts. The first part creates two services: a restructured Probation Service, to be renamed the National Probation Service for England and Wales and to be directly accountable to the Home Secretary; the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service to take over Family Court work, leaving the National Probation Service for England and Wales to concentrate on working with offenders. Part II sets up an integrated statutory system to prevent unsuitable people from working with children, with a statutory ban enforced by criminal sanctions. Part III deals with community orders, including greater use of electronic monitoring and stricter enforcement and ensures that sex offenders subject to the Sex Offenders Act 1997 should not be eligible for the Home Detention Curfew scheme. Powers are introduced for the compulsory drug testing of offenders and alleged offenders at various points in their contact with the Criminal Justice System.
