The Money Payments (Justices' Procedure) Act
| Date | 01 October 1935 |
| Author | W. Thoday |
| Published date | 01 October 1935 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455053500200201 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
THE MONEY PAYMENTS (JUSTICES’
PROCEDURE) ACT
By W. THODAY, LL.B.
mitted, and to the Court of knowing precisely what
(Clerk to the
it is doing, of fixing the term of imprisonment in
Lord Mayor
accordance with the nature of the default, and of
avoiding imprisonment altogether in proper cases.
of London)
This all seems so essentially reasonable that it would
be difficult to believe that a new Act of Parliament
has been necessary to effect it, if we did not know
HE
Money Payments (Justices’ Procedure)
that such is the case.
Act, 1935, which comes into force on 1 st
It is unnecessary for the present purpose to describe
January next, gives effect to some of the chief
in detail the provisions of the new Act. It is safe
fecommendaiions of the Home Office Departmental
to assume that all probation officers will be in sym-
Committee appointed in 1933 under the chairman
pathy with its objects, and it is proposed here to
ship of Sir John Fischer Williams, K.C., to con-
consider briefly how they can assist in achieving them.
sider the possibility of reducing the number of im-
In regard to the enforcement of fines, the Com-
prisonments by Justices for non-payment of money.
mittee were impressed by the fact that the Criminal
These imprisonments number roughly 20,000 in a
Justice Administration Act, 1914, had provided
year.
The Committee came to the conclusion that
certain alternatives to imprisonment which had been
this figure should be capable of substantial reduction
little used. Those alternatives were (a) detention and
and framed its recommendations with a view to limit-
(b) supervision of young people under 21.
ing imprisonment as far as possible to those persons
The system of supervision pending payment of
who by their offence or by the circumstances of their
fines was the subject of an article in the January
default were deseroing of the harsh and severe
number of this...
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