Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997

35Prisoners held on remand

(1)This section applies to a prisoner who has been held in custody on remand prior to conviction or sentence and in respect of whom the court passing sentence has, under section 210(1)(b) of the 1995 Act (consideration of time spent in custody), fixed a date for the beginning of his sentence prior to the date upon which sentence is passed.

(2)Following the conviction and sentence of a prisoner mentioned in subsection (1) above, the prescribed person may, in accordance with section 34 of this Act, and having regard to the extent to which prison staff have not made adverse reports in respect of his conduct during the period which he has spent on remand, retrospectively award him early release days in respect of that part of that period which has been included in his sentence.

(3)Where—

(a)a prisoner has, prior to conviction or sentence, been held in hospital by virtue of an order made under section 52 (power of court to commit to hospital an accused suffering from mental disorder), 53 (interim hospital orders) or 200 (remand for inquiry into physical or mental condition) of the 1995 Act; and

(b)the court passing sentence has, under section 210(1)(b) of that Act, fixed a date for the beginning of his sentence prior to the date upon which sentence was passed,

he shall be awarded the maximum number of early release days in respect of his period in that hospital which he could have been awarded under this section if he had spent that period in custody on remand.

(4)No award of early release days under this section shall entitle a prisoner to be released earlier than the day after the day on which the award is made.

(5)Subject to subsection (6) below, this section and section 34 of this Act apply to persons sentenced to be detained under section 44 (detention of children in summary proceedings) or detained for determinate periods under section 208 (detention of children convicted on indictment) of the 1995 Act as they apply to prisoners.

(6)Any early release days which may competently be awarded to a prisoner under this section or section 34 of this Act shall automatically be awarded to a person to whom either of those sections applies by virtue of subsection (5) above, but only for so long as that person is detained in a place other than a young offenders institution or a prison.

(7)Where a person such as is mentioned in subsection (6) above is transferred to a young offenders institution or a prison he shall, without prejudice to any rules as to forfeiture made under section 39(14) of the 1989 Act (rules), be entitled to the early release days awarded to him prior to that transfer.