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Coroners and Justice Act 2009

The Act received Royal Assent on 12 November 2009 and includes measures to:

• reform and clarify the law on homicide, in particular to the partial defences
• update the language of the offence of assisting suicide
• establish a new Sentencing Council for England and Wales, with a strengthened remit to promote consistency in sentencing practice
• create a new national coroner service, led by a new chief coroner
• create a new system of secondary certification of deaths that are not referred to the coroner, covering burials and cremations
• enable the courts to pass an indeterminate sentence for public protection for certain terrorist offences
• prevent criminals from profiting from publications about their crimes
• amend the Data Protection Act to strengthen the Information Commissioner's inspection powers
• re-enact the provisions of the emergency Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Act 2008 so that the courts may continue to grant anonymity to vulnerable or intimidated witnesses where this is consistent with a defendant's right to a fair trial
• allow the courts to grant Investigative Witness Anonymity Orders in certain gun and knife crime cases
• extend the use of special measures in criminal proceedings, such as live video links and screens around the witness box, so vulnerable and intimidated witnesses give their best evidence

• Implementation schedule (PDF 0.01mb 2 pages)
• Impact assessment: assessment notices (PDF 0.19mb 28 pages)
• Impact assessment: genocide law changes (PDF 0.24mb 26 pages)
• Coroners and Justice Bill: overarching impact assessment (PDF 0.14mb 15 pages)
• Impact assessment: coroners (PDF 0.17mb 26 pages)
• Impact assessment: death certification (PDF 0.17mb 24 pages)
• Impact assessment: homicide (PDF 0.14mb 21 pages)
• Impact assessment: establishment of the sentencing council (PDF 0.04mb 6 pages)
• Impact assessment: investigation anonymity orders (PDF 0.20mb 17 pages)
• Impact assessment: criminal legal aid (PDF 0.09mb 14 pages)
• Impact assessment: criminal memoirs (PDF 0.06mb 9 pages)
• Impact assessment: enhancing the inspection powers of the Information Commissioner (PDF 0.10mb 14 pages)
• Memorandum by the Ministry of Justice to the House of Lords Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee (PDF 0.17mb 37 pages)

Letters about government amendments

• Letters from Justice Minister Bridget Prentice (PDF 0.07mb 6 pages)

Letters from Ministers to members of the Public Bill Committee about issues raised

• Letters from Justice Ministers Bridget Prentice and Maria Eagle (PDF 0.15mb 20 pages)

Letters about government amendments at report stage

• Letters from Justice Minister Bridget Prentice (PDF 0.08mb 7 pages)

Letters from ministers to stakeholders

• Letters from Justice Minister Bridget Prentice (PDF 0.09mb 13 pages)

Letters about government amendments at Lords Committee stage

• Letters from Justice Minister Lord Bach (PDF 0.10mb 13 pages)

Letters about government amendments at Lords Report stage

• Letter from Justice Minister Lord Bach (PDF 0.07mb 11 pages)

Letters about government amendment at Lords third reading

• Letter from Justice Minister Lord Bach (PDF 0.04mb 5 pages)

Further reading

• Homicide reform update bulletin - March 2009 (PDF 0.07mb 2 pages)
• Homicide reform update bulletin - August 2009 (PDF 0.08mb 2 pages)
• Coroner reform update bulletin - March 2009 (PDF 0.07mb 2 pages)
• Coroner reform update bulletin - April 2009 (PDF 0.05mb 2 pages)
• Coroner reform update bulletin - May 2009 (PDF 0.06mb 2 pages)
• Coroner reform update bulletin - June 2009 (PDF 0.05mb 2 pages)
• Coroner reform update bulletin - November 2009 (PDF 0.04mb 2 pages)