Probation of Offenders Act 1907
| Year | 1907 |
Probation of Offenders Act, 1907.
(7 Edw. 7.) CHAPTER 17.
An Act to permit the Release on Probation of Offenders in certain cases, and for other matters incidental thereto.
[21st August 1907]
Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
1 Power of courts to permit conditional release of offenders.
(1) Where any person is charged before a court of summary jurisdiction with an offence punishable by such court, and the court thinks that the charge is proved, but is of opinion that, having regard to the character, antecedents, age, health, or mental condition of the person charged, or to the trivial nature of the offence, or to the extenuating circumstances under which the offence was committed, it is inexpedient to inflict any punishment or any other than a nominal punishment, or that it is expedient to release the offender on probation, the court may, without proceeding to conviction, make an order either—
(i) dismissing the information or charge; or
(ii) discharging the offender conditionally on his entering into a recognizance, with or without sureties, to be of good behaviour and to appear for conviction and sentence when called on at any time during such period, not exceeding three years, as may be specified in the order.
(2) Where any person has been convicted on indictment of any offence punishable with imprisonment, and the court is of opinion that, having regard to the character, antecedents, age, health, or mental condition of the person charged, or to the trivial nature of the offence, or to the extenuating circumstances under which the offence was committed, it is inexpedient to inflict any punishment or any other than a nominal punishment, or that it is expedient to release the offender on probation, the court may, in lieu of imposing a sentence of imprisonment, make an order discharging the offender conditionally on his entering into a recognizance, with or without sureties, to be of good behaviour and to appear for sentence when called on at any time during such period, not exceeding three years, as may be specified in the order.
(3) The court may, in addition to any such order, order the offender to pay such damages for injury or compensation for loss (not exceeding in the case of a court of summary jurisdiction ten pounds, or, if a higher limit is fixed by any enactment relating to the offence, that higher limit) and to pay such costs of the proceedings as the court thinks reasonable, and, if the offender is under the age of sixteen years, and it appears to the court that the parent or guardian of the offender has conduced to the commission of the offence, the court may under and in accordance with the Youthful Offenders Act, 1901 , order payment of such damages and costs by such parent or guardian.
(4) Where an order under this section is made by a court of summary jurisdiction, the order shall, for the purpose of revesting or restoring stolen property, and of enabling the court to make orders as to the restitution or delivery of property to the owner and as to the payment of money upon or in connexion with such restitution or delivery, have the like effect as a conviction.
2 Probation orders and conditions of recognizances.
(1) A recognizance ordered to be entered into under this Act shall, if the court so order, contain a condition that the offender be under the supervision of such person as may be named in the order during the period specified in the order and such other conditions for securing such supervision as may be specified in the order, and an order requiring the insertion of such conditions as aforesaid in the recognizance is in this Act referred to as a probation order.
(2) A recognizance under this Act may contain such additional conditions as the court may, having regard to the particular circumstances of the case, order to be inserted therein with respect to all or any of the following matters:—
(a ) for prohibiting the offender from associating with thieves and other undesirable persons, or from frequenting undesirable places;
(b ) as to abstention from intoxicating liquor, where the offence was drunkenness or an offence committed under the influence of drink;
(c ) generally for securing that the offender should lead an honest and industrious life.
(3) The court by which a probation order is made shall furnish to the offender a notice in writing stating in simple terms the conditions he is required to observe.
3 Probation officers.
(1) There may be appointed as probation officer or officers for a petty sessional division such person or persons of either sex as the authority having power to appoint a clerk to the justices of that division may determine, and a probation officer when acting under a probation order shall be subject to the control of petty sessional courts for the division for which he is so appointed.
(2) There shall be appointed, where circumstances permit, special probation officers, to be called children's probation officers, who shall, in the absence of any reasons to the contrary, be named in a probation order made in the case of an offender under the age of sixteen.
(3) The person named in any probation order shall,—
(a ) where the court making the order is a court of...
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