Bail and the Human Rights Act

Current project status

• Initiation: Could include discussing scope and terms of reference with lead Government Department
• Pre-consultation: Could include approaching interest groups and specialists, producing scoping and issues papers, finalising terms of project
• Consultation: Likely to include consultation events and paper, making provisional proposals for comment
• Policy development: Will include analysis of consultation responses. Could include further issues papers and consultation on draft Bill
• Reported: Usually recommendations for law reform but can be advice to government, scoping report or other recommendations

This project is complete. Our recommendations were implemented by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (c44)

This project examines the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) on the law governing decisions taken by the police and the courts to grant or refuse bail in criminal proceedings, between the time when a person is charged or appears in court, and the time of the verdict or other termination of the case in criminal proceedings.