691.RF
Our reference:
Your reference:
Mr R S Gorham
West Indian and Atlantic Department
Room MZ38
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Whitehall,
London
SW1
HOME OFFICE
Queen Anne's Gate London SW1H 9AT
Direct line: 01-273 3545 Switchboard: 01-273 3000
HK6 380/1
RECEIVED...
10 JUL 1990
441
25 June 1990
Dear Gorham,
CRIMINAL JUSTICE BILL
I am writing, as we agreed when we spoke last week, to summarise for you the contents of the proposed Criminal Justice Bill, for your assistance in briefing your Ministers on the possibility of using the Bill to abolish the death penalty in the dependent territories.
Most of the proposals in the Bill stem from the White Paper "Crime Justice and Protecting the Public" (cm 965).
This set out the Government's proposals for a substantial reform of sentencing practice; a restructuring of community penalties, including the introduction of a new penalty of a curfew order; implementation of the recommendations of the Carlisle Committee on the Parole System; and new arrangements for young offenders with a stronger element of parental responsibility brought in. I attach a copy of the summary of the proposals which appears in the White Paper. In addition, it is intended that the Bill should make provision for involving the private sector in running remand centres and escorting prisoners to and from court. There will also be a small number of provisions relating to the management and financing of the Probation Service and Magistrates' Courts.
You may find it helpful to be aware that, in agreeing that this Bill should be included in the programme for next session, the Lord President was most insistent that its contents should be closely limited, and indicated that there would have to be a compelling case before he could sanction any additions to the agreed contents as outlined above. I should imagine that my Ministers would be reluctant to have a debate on the death penalty, even as regards the dependent