The Offender Management Act 2007 (c. 21) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which relates to "the provision of probation services, prisons and other matters relating to the management of offenders",The Offender Management Act 2007, Long title.
Provisions The act allows for the outsourcing of probation services (section 3) and amend the law relating to contracted out prisons and secure training centres (sections 16-20).
The act allowed more options for the placement of young offenders in care homes.
The act introduced provision for the monitoring of sex offenders on parole using lie detectors (polygraphs). The Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 amended these provisions to allow the use of polygraph testing for acts of terrorism. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 further extended polygraph testing to cover members of the armed forces who are convicted for "service offences" (offences under the relevant military laws) that match up to the equivalent offences in ordinary criminal law. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 has further extended the criteria under which polygraph testing can be used for offenders who have been convicted of murder who are deemed to be at risk of committing a sexual offence, or for offenders who committed a sexual offence in the past and are released on licence for a different offence.
The act makes it an offence to have a mobile phone in prison and it makes it an offence for staff to bring mobile phones into a prison.
Notes
References
External links
Explanatory notes to the Offender Management Act 2007.