Crime and Disorder Act 1998

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to make provision for preventing crime and disorder; to create certain racially-aggravated offences; to abolish the rebuttable presumption that a child is doli incapax and to make provision as to the effect of a child’s failure to give evidence at his trial; to abolish the death penalty for treason and piracy; to make changes to the criminal justice system; to make further provision for dealing with offenders; to make further provision with respect to remands and committals for trial and the release and recall of prisoners; to amend Chapter I of Part II of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 and to repeal Chapter I of Part III of the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997; to make amendments designed to facilitate, or otherwise desirable in connection with, the consolidation of certain enactments; and for connected purposes.
Citation	1998 c. 37
Territorial extent	England and Wales, Scotland
Dates
Royal assent	31 July 1998
Commencement	1 August 1998 and later
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Treason Act 1790 Treason Act 1795 Treason by Women Act (Ireland) 1796 Treason Act 1817 Sentence of Death (Expectant Mothers) Act 1931
Relates to	Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997 Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (c. 37) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act was published on 2 December 1997 and received royal assent in July 1998. Its key areas were the introduction of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, Sex Offender Orders, Parenting Orders, granting local authorities more responsibilities with regards to strategies for reducing crime and disorder, and the introduction of law specific to 'racially aggravated' offences. The Act also abolished rebuttable presumption that a child is doli incapax (the presumption that a person between ten and fourteen years of age is incapable of committing an offence) and formally abolished the death penalty for the last civilian offences carrying it, namely treason and piracy.

The bill had also included a reduction in the age of consent for homosexual acts from 18 to 16.^[1] However, this provision was removed by the House of Lords; it would eventually be enacted two years later by the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act.