505.Section 1 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 (“the 2000 Act”) provides for courts to defer for up to six months passing sentence after an offender has been convicted if the offender consents and undertakes to comply with any requirements that the court considers it appropriate to impose. The current provisions also provide for the offender to be returned to court (in case of breach) before the end of the period of deferment. They also provide for the court to appoint a supervisor.
506.Paragraph 5 inserts a new section 1ZA into the 2000 Act to make it explicit that the court’s existing power to defer sentence after conviction includes a power to defer sentence to allow for restorative justice activities in cases where the offender and every other person who would be a participant in the activity consents (new section 1ZA(1) and (3)).
507.A restorative justice activity is an activity:
involving the offender and one or more victims;.
which seeks to bring home to the offender the impact of their offending on the victim or victims; and
which gives the victim or victims the opportunity to talk about, or otherwise express, the impact of the offending upon them (new section 1ZA(2)).
508.New section 1ZA(6) of the 2000 Act requires those persons running restorative justice activities to have regard to any guidance that the Secretary of State issues, with a view to encouraging good practice in the delivery of such activities.
509.A victim is a victim of, or other person affected by, the offending (new section 1ZA(7)). Restorative justice activities might include the victim and offender meeting face to face to discuss the crime, or giving the victim an opportunity to explain by other means to the offender the impact of the crime. These activities can conclude with an agreement which involves the offender making some form of reparation to the victim.
510.The court may have regard to the offender’s engagement (or lack of engagement) when they pass their sentence. However, the participation of the offender in restorative justice activities will not automatically affect the sentence that he or she receives. It will be for the court to decide on the sentence that is ultimately imposed.