The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (c. 44) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is a wide-ranging measure introduced to modernise many areas of the criminal justice system in England and Wales and, to a lesser extent, in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Large portions of the act were repealed and replaced by the Sentencing Act 2020. It amends the law relating to police powers, bail, disclosure, allocation of criminal offences, prosecution appeals, autrefois acquit ("double jeopardy"), hearsay, propensity evidence, bad character evidence, sentencing and release on licence. It permits offences to be tried by a judge sitting alone without a jury in cases where there is a danger of jury-tampering. It also expands the circumstances in which defendants can be tried twice for the same offence (double jeopardy), when "new and compelling evidence" is introduced. Origins The Act had its genesis in several reports and consultations: Home Secretary David Blunkett, Lord Chancellor Irvine of Lairg and Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith's Justice for All - A White Paper on the Criminal Justice System, published 17 July 2002 Lord Justice Auld's Review of the Criminal Courts of England and Wales, published on 5 September 2001 Deputy Under Secretary of State John Halliday's Making Punishment Work: report of a review of the sentencing framework of England and Wales, published on 16 May 2000 Mr Justice Carnwath's Law Commission report: Evidence of Bad Character of Criminal Proceedings, published on 9 October 2001 Mrs Justice Arden's Law Commission report: Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Hearsay and Related Topics, published on 19 June 1997 Mr Justice Carnwath's Law Commission report: Double Jeopardy and Prosecution Appeals, published on 6 March 2001 Other recommendations of the Criminal Courts Review relating to court procedures were implemented in the Courts Act 2003. The intention of the Act was to introduce reforms in two main areas: improved case management and a reduction in scope for abuse of the system. Reforms to court and police procedure Stop and search powers Police "stop and search" powers are increased to include cases of suspected criminal damage in, for example, the carrying of spray paint by aspirant graffiti artists. People who accompany constables on a search of premises may now take an active part in the search, as long as they remain accompanied at all times. This is particularly useful in cases where computer or financial evidence may need to be sifted at