The author began to train as a probation officer in October 2004. In April 2005 the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (CJA 2003 or the Act) became active and over the next five years, the criminal justice system struggled to cope. Most of the author’s career has been spent working with the Act and this critical personal view will look back at the consequences of the CJA 2003 in three specific areas: community penalties, recalls and public protection sentences. Drawing on the available literature, government statistics and personal experience, it will show how the Act was an unwise exercise in sentencing reform and an excellent lesson in the law of unintended consequences.
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