Conditional Cautioning
Conditional Cautioning introduced to Derbyshire
Conditional Cautioning was introduced to Derbyshire on 1 March 2007 across Amber Valley and Erewash and the 18th February 2008 across the remaining three police divisions. The project allows for relatively low level offenders, aged over 18 years who admit their guilt to be given a caution with special conditions attached - rather than be prosecuted.
To date, over 1420 conditional cautions have been issued in a number of pilot areas and over half of these have involved compensation to victims of crime, letters of apology, drug intervention or restorative justice.
Conditional Cautioning provides a fast and effective alternative to the formal court process for those admitting less serious offences. There is no restriction under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 but the Director of Public Prosecutions has issued guidance on the types of offences that can carry a conditional caution.
The current scheme relates to adults only but this is likely to be extended in the near future to young people.
For further information about Conditional Cautioning, please contact Phillipa Sharpe on 01773 733422.