Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

5 Rehabilitation periods for particular sentences.E+W

(1)The sentences excluded from rehabilitation under this Act are—

(a)a sentence of imprisonment for life;

(b)a sentence of imprisonment [F1youth custody] [F2detention in a young offender institution] or corrective training for a term exceeding [F3forty eight months];

(c)a sentence of preventive detention; F4. . .

(d)a sentence of detention during Her Majesty’s pleasure or for life [F5under section 90 or 91 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000] [F6, under section 250 or 259 of the Sentencing Code] [F7or under section 209 or 218 of the Armed Forces Act 2006,] [F8or under section 205(2) or (3) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) [F9Act 1995],] [F10or a sentence of detention for a term exceeding [F3forty eight months] passed under section 91 of the said Act of 2000] [F11or section 250 [F12or 252A] of that Code] [F13(young offenders convicted of grave crimes) [F14or section 209 of the said Act of 2006] or under [F15section 205ZC(5) or 208 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995;] [F16and

(e)a sentence of custody for life]; [F17and]

[F18(f)a sentence of imprisonment for public protection under section 225 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, a sentence of detention for public protection under section 226 of that Act or an extended sentence under section [F19 226A, 226B,] 227 or 228 of that Act [F20or section 254, 266 or 279 of the Sentencing Code] [F21 (including any sentence within this paragraph passed as a result of any of sections 219 to 222 of the Armed Forces Act 2006)]]

and any other sentence is a sentence subject to rehabilitation under this Act.

[F22(1A)In [F23this section]—

(a)references to section 209 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 include references to section 71A(4) of the Army Act 1955 or Air Force Act 1955 or section 43A(4) of the Naval Discipline Act 1957;

(b)the reference to section 218 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 includes a reference to section 71A(3) of the Army Act 1955 or Air Force Act 1955 or section 43A(3) of the Naval Discipline Act 1957.]

[F24(2)For the purposes of this Act and subject to subsections (3) and (4), the rehabilitation period for a sentence is the period—

(a)beginning with the date of the conviction in respect of which the sentence is imposed, and

(b)ending at the time listed in the following Table in relation to that sentence:

(3)Where no provision is made by or under a community or youth rehabilitation order or a relevant order for the last day on which the order is to have effect, the rehabilitation period for the order is to be the period of 24 months beginning with the date of conviction.

(4)There is no rehabilitation period for—

(a)an order discharging a person absolutely for an offence, or

(b)any other sentence in respect of a conviction where the sentence is not dealt with in the Table or under subsection (3),

and, in such cases, references in this Act to any rehabilitation period are to be read as if the period of time were nil.

(5)See also—

(a)section 8AA (protection afforded to spent alternatives to prosecution), and

(b)Schedule 2 (protection for spent cautions).

(6)The Secretary of State may by order amend column 2 or 3 of the Table or the number of months for the time being specified in subsection (3).

(7)For the purposes of this section—

(a)consecutive terms of imprisonment or other custodial sentences are to be treated as a single term,

(b)terms of imprisonment or other custodial sentences which are wholly or partly concurrent (that is terms of imprisonment or other custodial sentences imposed in respect of offences of which a person was convicted in the same proceedings) are to be treated as a single term,

(c)no account is to be taken of any subsequent variation, made by a court dealing with a person in respect of a suspended sentence of imprisonment, of the term originally imposed,

(d)no account is to be taken of any subsequent variation of the day originally provided for by or under an order as the last day on which the order is to have effect,

(e)no account is to be taken of any detention or supervision ordered by a court under section 104(3) of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 [F26or paragraph 3(2) of Schedule 12 to the Sentencing Code],

(f)a sentence imposed by a court outside England and Wales is to be treated as the sentence mentioned in this section to which it most closely corresponds.

(8)In this section—

• “community or youth rehabilitation order” means—

  (a)

  a community order under [F27Chapter 2 of Part 9 of the Sentencing Code],

  (b)

  a service community order or overseas community order under the Armed Forces Act 2006,

  (c)

  a youth rehabilitation order under [F28Chapter 1 of Part 9 of the Sentencing Code], or

  (d)

  any order of a kind superseded (whether directly or indirectly) by an order mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c),

• “custodial sentence” means—

  (a)

  a sentence of imprisonment,

  (b)

  a sentence of detention in a young offender institution,

  (c)

  a sentence of Borstal training,

  (d)

  a sentence of youth custody,

  (e)

  a sentence of corrective training,

  (f)

  a sentence of detention under [F29section 250 [F30or 252A] of the Sentencing Code] or section 209 of the Armed Forces Act 2006,

  (g)

  a detention and training order [F31within the meaning given by section 233 of the Sentencing Code] or an order under section 211 of the Armed Forces Act 2006,

  (h)

  any sentence of a kind superseded (whether directly or indirectly) by a sentence mentioned in paragraph (f) or (g),

• “earlier statutory order” means—

  (a)

  an order under section 54 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 committing the person convicted to custody in a remand home,

  (b)

  an approved school order under section 57 of that Act, or

  (c)

  any order of a kind superseded (whether directly or indirectly) by an order mentioned in any of paragraphs (c) to (e) of the definition of “relevant order” or in paragraph (a) or (b) above,

• “relevant order” means—

  (a)

  an order discharging a person conditionally for an offence,

  (b)

  an order binding a person over to keep the peace or be of good behaviour,

  (c)

  an order under section 1(2A) of the Street Offences Act 1959,

  (d)

  a hospital order under Part 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983 (with or without a restriction order),

  (e)

  a referral order under [F32Chapter 1 of Part 6 of the Sentencing Code],

  (f)

  an earlier statutory order, or

  (g)

  any order which imposes a disqualification, disability, prohibition or other penalty and is not otherwise dealt with in the Table or under subsection (3),

  but does not include a reparation order under section 73 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 [F33or Chapter 2 of Part 6 of the Sentencing Code],

• “removal from Her Majesty's service” means a sentence of dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty's service, a sentence of dismissal from Her Majesty's service or a sentence of cashiering or discharge with ignominy,

• “sentence of imprisonment” includes a sentence of penal servitude (and “term of imprisonment” is to be read accordingly),

• “sentence of service detention” means—

  (a)

  a sentence of service detention (within the meaning given by section 374 of the Armed Forces Act 2006), or a sentence of detention corresponding to such a sentence, in respect of a conviction in service disciplinary proceedings, or

  (b)

  any sentence of a kind superseded (whether directly or indirectly) by a sentence mentioned in paragraph (a).]]

[F135 [F34Disclosure] periods for particular sentences. S

(1)The sentences [F35which are excluded sentences for the purposes of] this Act are—

(a)a sentence of imprisonment for life;

(b)a sentence of imprisonment F36... or corrective training for a term exceeding [F3748] months;

(c)a sentence of preventive detention; F38. . .

(d)a sentence of detention during Her Majesty’s pleasure or for life F39... [F7under section 209 or 218 of the Armed Forces Act 2006,] [F40under section 205(2) or (3) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act [F411995],] F42[or a sentence of detention for a term exceeding thirty months passed under F43...] [F44(young offenders convicted of grave crimes) F43... [F14section 209 of the said Act of 2006] F45...]

[F46(da)a sentence of detention for a term exceeding 48 months passed under section [F47205ZA(6) (serious terrorism sentence for young offenders), 205ZC(4) or (5) (terrorism sentence for young offenders or children),] 207 (detention of young offenders) or 208 (detention of children convicted on indictment) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995;]

[F48(e)a sentence of custody for life]; [F17and]

[F18(f)a sentence of imprisonment for public protection under section 225 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, a sentence of detention for public protection under section 226 of that Act or an extended sentence under section [F19 226A, 226B,] 227 or 228 of that Act]

and any other sentence is a [F49disclosable sentence] .

[F22(1A)In subsection (1)(d)—

(a)references to section 209 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 include references to section 71A(4) of the Army Act 1955 or Air Force Act 1955 or section 43A(4) of the Naval Discipline Act 1957;

(b)the reference to section 218 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 includes a reference to section 71A(3) of the Army Act 1955 or Air Force Act 1955 or section 43A(3) of the Naval Discipline Act 1957.]

[F50(1B)In subsection (1), “disclosable sentence” means a sentence imposed in relation to a conviction in respect of which a person may, under this Act, become a protected person.]

[F51(2A)For the purposes of this Act, the disclosure period applicable to a sentence specified in the first column of Table A is—

(a)where the sentence was imposed on a person who was 18 years of age or older at the date of the conviction in respect of which the sentence was imposed, the period specified in the second column of Table A in relation to that sentence,

(b)where the sentence was imposed on a person who was under 18 years of age at the date of the conviction in respect of which the sentence was imposed, the period specified in the third column of Table A in relation to that sentence.

(2B)For the purposes of subsection (2A), the disclosure period applicable to a sentence is to be reckoned from the date of the conviction in respect of which the sentence was imposed.

(2C)Subsection (2A) applies to Table B as it applies to Table A.

(2D)This subsection applies to a sentence which is—

(a)not dealt with in—

(i)subsections (1) to (2C) (including in Table A or Table B), or

(ii)any of sections 5C to 5J,

(b)imposed on a person in respect of a conviction, and

(c)given by way of an order—

(i)imposing on the person any disqualification, disability, prohibition, requirement or restriction, or

(ii)which is otherwise intended to regulate the person's behaviour.

(2E)The disclosure period applicable to a sentence to which subsection (2D) applies is—

(a)in the case of an order—

(i)containing provision enabling the date on which the disqualification, disability, prohibition, requirement, restriction or regulation (as the case may be) ceases or ceased to have effect to be determined, or

(ii)containing provision for the disqualification, disability, prohibition, requirement, restriction or regulation (as the case may be) to have effect for an indefinite period (including the lifetime of a person) or without limit of time,

the period beginning with the date of the conviction and ending on the date on which the disqualification, disability, prohibition, requirement, restriction or regulation (as the case may be) ceases or ceased to have effect,

(b)in the case of any other order, a period of 2 years beginning with the date of the conviction.

(2F)For the purposes of this section—

(a)consecutive terms of—

(i)imprisonment or other custodial sentences, or

(ii)detention under section 209 of the Armed Forces Act 2006,

are to be treated as a single term,

(b)terms of imprisonment, or of detention, which are—

(i)wholly or partly concurrent, and

(ii)imposed in respect of offences of which a person was convicted in the same proceedings,

are to be treated as a single term,

(c)no account is to be taken of any subsequent variation, made by a court in dealing with a person in respect of a suspended sentence of imprisonment, of the term originally imposed, and

(d)a sentence imposed by a court outwith Scotland is to be treated as the sentence mentioned—

(i)in this section,

(ii)in Table A or Table B, or

(iii)in any of sections 5C to 5J,

to which it most closely corresponds.

(2G)References in this section, Table A, sections 5D to 5H and section 5J to a sentence provided for in a particular enactment include references to any sentence of a kind superseded (whether directly or indirectly) by such a sentence.]

F52(10A). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(11)The Secretary of State may by order—

(a)substitute different periods or terms for any of the periods or terms mentioned in subsections (1) to [F53(2E), in Table A or Table B or in any of sections 5C, 5D, 5H and 5I;] and

(b)substitute a different age for the age mentioned in subsection [F54(2A)] .

[F55(12)In this section—

• “Table A” means the table in section 5A,

• “Table B” means the table in section 5B,

• “custodial sentence” means—

  (a)

  a sentence of imprisonment,

  (b)

  a sentence of detention under section 44, [F56205ZA(6), 205ZC(4) or (5),] 207 or 208 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995,

  (c)

  a sentence of Borstal training,

  (d)

  a sentence of corrective training,

• “sentence of imprisonment” includes a sentence of penal servitude (and references to terms of imprisonment are to be read accordingly).]]