Mutiny Act 1873
Encyclopedia
The Mutiny Act 1873 was an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It was signed into law on 24 April 1873.

The preamble to the Act stated that it was necessary to provide "a more speedy punishment than the usual forms often allow" to soldiers who mutinied
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...

 or stirred up sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...

, who deserted
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...

, or who were "guilty of crimes and offences to the prejudice of good order and military discipline". It extended to the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

, and encompassed colonial and foreign troops in British service, though the militia, volunteer and reserve forces were exempt except under special circumstances.

The Act provided for the forms and functions of courts martial, and defined which crimes were punishable by death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...

, penal servitude, or corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...

. Those acquitted by a civil court were not to be tried again for the same offence by a court martial.

It provided full regulations for military prisons and the custody of prisoners.

Rules were provided for the apprehension of deserters within the UK, and for their temporary custody in gaols. Recruits who deserted before joining their regiment forfeited their bounty, and could be transferred to the nearest regiment, corps or depot.

(...)
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