Chapter 5: Conclusion
Date: Fri May 01 14:43:56 BST 1998
5.1 The law on offences against the person is outmoded and unclear, and creates unnecessary confusion in the courts. The Bill contained in this Consultation Paper sets out the way in which the Government believes that the law in this area can be modernised, simplified and brought within a single statute. In particular, it sets out a new hierarchy of offences against the person, ranging from intentional serious injury to assault, based on motivation and outcome, to replace the existing range of statutory and common law offences. Making the law more accessible in this way will help to smooth the passage of thousands of cases each year, enabling the citizen to understand the criminal offences more easily, and enabling the police to explain and charge offences that are more readily understood. It should also make the task of judges, magistrates and juries more straightforward in the day to day administration of justice. All in all these proposals are intended to improve the quality of justice in England and Wales.
5.2 The Government welcomes your views on any aspect of these proposals.
