The Criminal Law Revision Committee of England & Wales was a standing committee of legal experts that was called upon by the
Home Secretary to advise on legal issues and to report back recommendations for reform. While never formally abolished, it has been dormant since 1986 and superseded by the
Law Commission.[1]
Overview
The first committee was set up by
Rab Butler in February 1959 ‘to examine such aspects of the criminal law...as the Home Secretary may from time to time refer to the Committee, to consider whether the law requires revision and to make recommendations’.[2] While members worked on a voluntary basis, it subsequently published eighteen reports on numerous contentious legal issues. Although not all of the Committee's reports have been adopted by
Parliament, many have had a great influence on
UKlegislation.
List of reports
First Report: Indecency with Children (Cmnd 835) (1959)
Second Report: Suicide (Cmnd 1187) (1960)
Third Report: Criminal Procedure (Insanity) (Cmnd 2149) (1963)
Fourth Report: Order of Closing Speeches (Cmnd 2148) (1963)