Criminal Justice Act (with its many variations) is a stock short title used for legislation in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Canada relating to the criminal law (including both substantive and procedural aspects of that law). It tends to be used for Acts that do not have a single cohesive subject matter.
The Bill for an Act with this short title will have been known as a Criminal Justice Bill during its passage through Parliament.
Criminal Justice Acts may be a generic name either for legislation bearing that short title or for all legislation which relates to the criminal law. It is not a term of art.
See also Criminal Law Act and Criminal Law Amendment Act.
Famous quotes containing the words criminal, justice and/or act:
“A criminal trial is like a Russian novel: it starts with exasperating slowness as the characters are introduced to a jury, then there are complications in the form of minor witnesses, the protagonist finally appears and contradictions arise to produce drama, and finally as both jury and spectators grow weary and confused the pace quickens, reaching its climax in passionate final argument.”
—Clifford Irving (b. 1930)
“Justice is rather the activity of truth, than a virtue in itself. Truth tells us what is due to others, and justice renders that due. Injustice is acting a lie.”
—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)
“If we must not act save on a certainty, we ought not to act on religion, for it is not certain. But how many things we do on an uncertainty, sea voyages, battles!”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)