Policy paper
Government response to the Law Commission Report ‘Unfitness to Plead’
This document details the government response to the Law Commission’s Unfitness to Plead report.
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
This document sets out the government’s response to the Law Commission’s report on Unfitness to Plead.
The unfitness to plead framework addresses what should happen in criminal courts where a defendant lacks sufficient capability or capacity to effectively participate in their trial, including understanding the charges against them and deciding how to plead.
The government has accepted the majority of the Law Commission’s recommendations, which will modernise the unfitness to plead procedure. The government will look to bring forward legislation to implement these recommendations when Parliamentary time allows
Updates to this page
Published 1 November 2023