Jargon Buster H - R

  • HMCS Her Majesty’s Court Service.
  • House of Lords
    This is the final appeal court in the UK. Hears appeals (with leave) on points of law of general public importance.
  • Imprisonment
    Imprisonment is only used for the most serious offences and offenders. As well as sentencing guidelines, which Judges and Magistrates are given, all imprisonable offences have a maximum term laid down by Parliament. There are also minimum sentences for some serious repeat offenders.
  • Indictable only offence
    All criminal cases start in a Magistrate Court, however indictable only offences are sent by the Magistrate Court to the Crown Court. Indictable only offences are those dealt with by a judge and jury at the Crown court and are generally more serious offences, including murder, rape, manslaughter and robbery.
  • In the public interest
    For each case submitted to the CPS, a prosecutor must decide whether it is in the public interest to bring the case to court. This decision may be based on a large number of factors, relating to the seriousness of the offence, the effect upon the victim and the background of the offender.
  • ISSP
    Intensive Supervisory Surveillance Programme. A non-custodial intervention sentence of up to six months for young repeat offenders who commit serious crimes. The programme combines community-based surveillance with the young person undertaking reparative activities. It focuses on factors contributing to the offending behaviour and is delivered by Youth Offending Teams or teams working with YOTs.
  • Jury
    A jury is made up of 12 people who, as far as possible, represent the general public. Jurors are chosen at random from the local community and usually serve for two weeks.
  • LCJB
    Local Criminal Justice Board.
  • Lie on file A technical term meaning that the prosecution do not accept the not guilty plea but matters will not proceed to trail.
  • Magistrates Court
    The Magistrates Courts are responsible for dealing with 97% of all adult and youth criminal cases in England and Wales. They also refer most serious cases on to the Crown Court. Magistrates Courts deal with Summary Offences, in addition they also deal with eitherway offences which can be tried either in the Magistrates Court or the Crown Court.
  • Offender Management
    Each offender has an offender manager from the probation service, who manages their sentence from beginning to end, This include periods of imprisonment as well as time spent in the community, either on a Community Order, or release from prison subject to licence conditions. The offender manager works with the offender, other probation staff and staff from other agencies to produce and deliver a sentence plan for all the different parts of the sentence.
  • Offending behaviour programmes
    Offending behaviour programmes are delivered by the probation service either as a requirement of a Community Order or as part of the offenders licence conditions on release from prison. Some offending behaviour programmes are also delivered in prisons.

    Most programmes are nationally accredited and are specifically designed to address the attitudes and patterns of behaviour that contribute to offending. Usually delivered within a group setting, offenders are challenged to look at their behaviour and learn new skills and ways of coping with difficult situations. Programmes include poor thinking skills, domestic violence, substance or alcohol abuse, sex offending and drink driving.
  • PPO – Prolific and other Priority Offenders PPO is a partnership between local CDRPS, probation, police, drug treatment agencies and other community services, targeted at the most prolific offenders whose frequency of offending over a period of years means they need intensive support and intervention if they are to change their lifestyle and stop offending.

    Within the PPO scheme, police and probation officers work together to manage individual offenders, who are subject to increased levels of police surveillance. Offenders are seen by police and probation officers a minimum of four times every week and are subject to curfews and other requirements. A number of other community services will also be involved, depending on the individual offender, including drug treatment, housing, education and training.
  • PSR
    Pre Sentence Reports. These reports are prepared by the probation service for the courts once an offender has pleaded guilty or been found guilty. The reports explore the offenders suitability for different sentencing options, taking into account a number of factors including the likelihood of their reoffending and the risk of harm they pose.

    Some reports are prepared on the day in court, others take up to two weeks and can involve visits to the offenders home and interviews with other experts, such as psychiatrists.
  • Referral Order (Youth)
    This means that the youth is referred to a community panel of volunteers, who, in participation with the Youth Offending Service, will attempt to understand the reasons for the offending behaviour. The panel will work with the youth to write a contract to make reparation to the community, or directly to the victim, for the offending behaviour, as well as looking at tackling the issues surrounding the offending behaviour.
  • Reparation order – community at large The defendant has to do a certain number of hours of unpaid work in the community. They will be supervised by a member of the local social services, Probation Service or youth offending team. If he/she fails to comply with the terms of the order they could be taken back to court and fined for the breach or re-sentenced for the offence.
  • Reparation order – victim
    The victim consents to the defendant doing work which is intended to go some way towards repairing the damage he/she caused by committing the offence. If they fail to comply with the terms of the order they could be taken back to court and fined for the breach or re-sentenced for the offence.

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