Dangerous offenders Criminal Justice Act 2003

the act replaced previous law on mandatory sentencing of defendants convicted of violent or sexual crimes, introducing compulsory life sentences or minimum sentences on 150 offences (subject defendant meeting criteria). act created new kind of life sentence, called imprisonment public protection (or detention public protection aged under 18), may imposed offences otherwise carry maximum sentence of ten years.

in response unprecedented prison overcrowding, parliament passed sections 13 17 of criminal justice , immigration act 2008 (with effect 14 july 2008), imposed stricter criteria imposition of these sentences, , restored judicial discretion providing no longer compulsory when criteria met.