The criminal court charge is a non-discretionary, fixed charge which is intended to offset some of the cost of running the criminal courts. The charge does not apply to defendants aged under 18.
Details
The criminal court charge must be imposed for offences committed on or after 13 April 2015.1 The charge is also payable when dealing with breaches of community orders, suspended sentence orders and post-sentence supervision. The charge does not apply if the offender was aged under 18 at the time of the offence.2
The charge also does not apply to defendants aged 18 or over who breach a court order, but were aged under 18 when the offence was committed.3
The amount of the charge varies depending principally on plea and whether the offence is summary or triable either way. The Justices’ Clerks Society has produced a table [at page 9] summarising the charge level to be imposed.
Sections 54 and 55, Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 and Prosecution of Offences Act 2015 (Criminal Courts Charge) Regulations 2015Sections 21A & 21B Prosecution of Offences Act 1985Section 21A (2) Prosecution of Offences Act 1985