Citation 7 Will 4 & 1 Vict c 91 Royal assent 17 July 1837 Repealed 21 July 2008 | Territorial extent United Kingdom Commencement 1 October 1837 | |
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Long title An Act for abolishing the Punishment of Death in certain Cases. | ||
The Punishment of Offences Act (7 Will 4 & 1 Vict c 91) (1837) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It abolished the death penalty for a number of statutory offences and replaced it with transportation for life.
Contents
Preamble
The preamble specified the following offences:
Section 1
Immediately before its repeal this section read:
The words "after the commencement of this Act" in the first place were repealed by the Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1890. The words "at the discretion of the court" and "or for any Term not less than fifteen years, or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years" in the second and third places were repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1892.
So far as it related to offences under the Riot Act, the Murder Act 1751 and section 4 of the Unlawful Oaths Act 1812, this section was repealed by section 10(2) of, and Part III of Schedule 3 to the Criminal Law Act 1967.
It was repealed for Northern Ireland by section 15 of, and Schedule 2 to, the Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967.
The penalty was reduced to penal servitude for life by section 2 of the Penal Servitude Act 1857, and to imprisonment for life by section 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1948, of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1949, and of the Criminal Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 1953. Section 1(1) of the 1949 Act was replaced by section 221(1) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975.
Section 2 - Offences punishable by imprisonment
This section was repealed by the Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1893.
Section 3 - Not to affect Powers of 5 & 6 W.4 c.38 and 4 G.4 c.64
This section was repealed by the Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1890.
Section 4 - Repeal of 2 Jac. l c.31
This section was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1874.
Section 5 - Commencement of act
This section was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1874.