The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 is the latest in a long-line of criminal justice and immigration statutes. It contains a set of wide ranging provisions in respect of dealing with adult and young offenders, important procedural changes, new criminal offences and changes to immigration law. Amongst the matters contained in the Act include:

• Changes to the rules relating to bail and allocation of offences
• Changes to sentences of imprisonment or detention for public protection
• Violent Offender Orders
• Further changes to the rules relating to release and recall of offenders
• The new community orders for young offenders - Youth Rehabilitation Orders
• Conditional cautions for young offenders
• Anti-social behaviour orders - extension of powers
• New criminal offences - possession of extreme pornography; hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation; offences relating to nuclear material and installations
• The new law relating to special immigration status
• The new rules relating to reasonable force for the purposes of self defence
• International co-operation in the enforcement of financial penalties
• Changes to the powers of the Court of Appeal and other procedural changes

The breadth of the Act means that the changes impact significantly those working in the areas of criminal justice and immigration. Written by leading academic criminal lawyers, Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008: A Practitioner's Guide reproduces the act in full with a thorough and authoritative commentary on the provisions of the new Act and its likely impact.

Richard Ward, Professor of Public Law and Head of Department of Law, Vanessa Bettinson, both of Leicester De Montfort Law School, Leicester

• Procedural Changes
• Sentencing
• Young Offenders - General Changes
• Youth Rehabilitation Order
• Violent Offender Orders
• Anti-social Behaviour
• Obscenity and Sexual Offences
• Criminal Offences and Defences
• Appeals
• Special Immigration Status
• Miscellaneous Changes 

Appendix

• Statutes - Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008