Part 4 Enforcement of sentences and orders

Sentences of imprisonment

42 Detention in the United Kingdom in pursuance of ICC sentence

(1) This section applies where—
(a) the United Kingdom is designated by the ICC as the state in which a person (“the prisoner”) is to serve a sentence of imprisonment imposed by the ICC, and
(b) the Secretary of State informs the ICC that the designation is accepted.
(2) Where the Secretary of State is minded that the prisoner should be detained in Scotland—
(a) he shall consult the Scottish Ministers, and
(b) if the Scottish Ministers agree that the prisoner should be detained in Scotland, they shall issue a warrant authorising the bringing of the prisoner to Scotland.
(3) Where subsection (2) does not apply or the Scottish Ministers do not agree, the Secretary of State shall issue a warrant authorising—
(a) the bringing of the prisoner to England and Wales or Northern Ireland,
(b) the detention of the prisoner there in accordance with the sentence of the ICC, and
(c) the taking of the prisoner to a specified place where he is to be detained.
The provisions of the warrant may be varied by the Secretary of State, and shall be so varied to give effect to any variation of the ICC’s sentence.
(4) A prisoner subject to a warrant authorising his detention in England and Wales or Northern Ireland shall be treated for all purposes, subject to subsection (5) and Schedule 7, as if he were subject to a sentence of imprisonment imposed in exercise of its criminal jurisdiction by a court in the part of the United Kingdom in which he is to be detained.
(5) The following enactments do not apply to a person detained in pursuance of a sentence of the ICC—
(a) the Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984 (c. 47),
(b) Schedule 1 to the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 (c. 43) (transfer of prisoners within the British Islands).
As to transfer of such a person within the United Kingdom, see sections 44 and 45 below.
(6) Schedule 7 excludes the operation of certain statutory provisions in relation to a person detained in England and Wales or Northern Ireland in pursuance of a sentence of the ICC.

Article 103
Role of States in enforcement of sentences of imprisonment
1. (a) A sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a State designated by the Court from a list of States which have indicated to the Court their willingness to accept sentenced persons.
(b) At the time of declaring its willingness to accept sentenced persons, a State may attach conditions to its acceptance as agreed by the Court and in accordance with this Part.
(c) A State designated in a particular case shall promptly inform the Court whether it accepts the Court's designation.
2. (a) The State of enforcement shall notify the Court of any circumstances, including the exercise of any conditions agreed under paragraph 1, which could materially affect the terms or extent of the imprisonment. The Court shall be given at least 45 days' notice of any such known or foreseeable circumstances. During this period, the State of enforcement shall take no action that might prejudice its obligations under article 110.
(b) Where the Court cannot agree to the circumstances referred to in subparagraph (a), it shall notify the State of enforcement and proceed in accordance with article 104, paragraph 1.
3. In exercising its discretion to make a designation under paragraph 1, the Court shall take into account the following:
(a) The principle that States Parties should share the responsibility for enforcing sentences of imprisonment, in accordance with principles of equitable distribution, as provided in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence;
(b) The application of widely accepted international treaty standards governing the treatment of prisoners;
(c) The views of the sentenced person;
(d) The nationality of the sentenced person;
(e) Such other factors regarding the circumstances of the crime or the person sentenced, or the effective enforcement of the sentence, as may be appropriate in designating the State of enforcement.
4. If no State is designated under paragraph 1, the sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a prison facility made available by the host State, in accordance with the conditions set out in the headquarters agreement referred to in article 3, paragraph 2. In such a case, the costs arising out of the enforcement of a sentence of imprisonment shall be borne by the Court.

Article 104
Change in designation of State of enforcement
1. The Court may, at any time, decide to transfer a sentenced person to a prison of another State.
2. A sentenced person may, at any time, apply to the Court to be transferred from the State of enforcement.


Article 105
Enforcement of the sentence
1. Subject to conditions which a State may have specified in accordance with article 103, paragraph 1 (b), the sentence of imprisonment shall be binding on the States Parties, which shall in no case modify it.
2. The Court alone shall have the right to decide any application for appeal and revision. The State of enforcement shall not impede the making of any such application by a sentenced person.

Article 106
Supervision of enforcement of sentences and conditions of imprisonment
1. The enforcement of a sentence of imprisonment shall be subject to the supervision of the Court and shall be consistent with widely accepted international treaty standards governing treatment of prisoners.
2. The conditions of imprisonment shall be governed by the law of the State of enforcement and shall be consistent with widely accepted international treaty standards governing treatment of prisoners; in no case shall such conditions be more or less favourable than those available to prisoners convicted of similar offences in the State of enforcement.
3. Communications between a sentenced person and the Court shall be unimpeded and confidential.

This provision follows the ICC Statute.

Due to the internal constitutional arrangements of the UK there is a detailed national procedure to be complied with if the prisoner is to serve his sentence in Scotland.