On 4 April 2005, the Criminal Justice Act 2003 came into effect. The Act introduced, amongst other things, a new approach to sentencing. The new sentencing regime applies mainly to offences committed on or after 4 April 2005, therefore offences committed before that date will be subject to previous legislation.
A single generic Community Order is now available with a range of twelve requirements. A court must include a least one of these requirements when passing this sentence. Each requirement is designed to fulfill one or more of the 'purposes of sentence':
- Punishment
- Reduction of crime (including deterrence)
- Reform and rehabilitation
- Protection of the public
- Making reparation
There are 12 requirements.
