Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997

33 Application of provisions with respect to early release

(1) Subject to subsection (2) below, this Chapter applies in relation to sentences imposed in respect of offences committed after this Chapter comes into force.

(2) This Chapter does not apply in relation to sentences of an indeterminate length.

(3) Schedule 2 to this Act, which makes transitional provision as to the relationship between sentences passed in respect of offences committed before and after the coming into force of this Chapter, shall have effect.

(4) Where an offence is found to have been committed over a period of two or more days, or at some time during a period of two or more days, it shall be taken for the purposes of this Chapter to have been committed on the last of those days.

(5) In this Chapter—

• “prescribed” means prescribed in rules made under section 39 of the 1989 Act (rules); and

• “prisoner” includes a person sentenced to detention in a young offenders institution under section 207 of the 1995 Act, and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly.

(6) Subject to subsection (7) below, the amendments made by this Act to the [1984 c. 47.] Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984, section 74(6) of the 1984 Act, the 1989 Act and the 1993 Act, and the amendments made to the 1995 Act by paragraph 21(3) of Schedule 1 to this Act shall have effect only in relation to sentences in relation to which this Chapter applies; and any amendment expressed to relate to any of those Acts before or, as the case may be, after the amendments made by this Act come into force, shall have effect accordingly.

(7) Subsection (6) above does not apply—

(a) to amendments made to the Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984 by paragraph 10(2)(b) and (3) of Schedule 1 to this Act;

(b) to amendments to the 1989 Act made by sections 42, 43 and 44 of, paragraph 13(2) and (4) of Schedule 1 to, and the repeal of the words from “including” to the end of section 3(1) of that Act made by Schedule 3 to, this Act; and

(c) to amendments to the 1993 Act made by section 16 of, and paragraph 14(2)(b), (3)(a) to (d), (8), (10)(b), (11)(a) and (18) of Schedule 1 to, this Act.

(8) Without prejudice to the provisions of Schedule 2 to this Act (which makes specific provision in relation to aggregation of sentences in the cases mentioned in it), for the purposes of any reference, however expressed, in this Chapter to the term of imprisonment or other detention to which a person has been sentenced or which, having been sentenced, he has served (in whole or in part), consecutive terms and terms which are wholly or partly concurrent shall be treated as a single term.