‘Overcrowded prisons will face “total gridlock in a matter of months” and run out of space in 2026 despite emergency measures to release prisoners early, MPs have warned.’
The Independent, 14th March 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Poverty, abuse and discriminatory laws are driving a huge rise in the number of women in prison globally, according to a new report.’
The Guardian, 12th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘There is no evidence to suggest that pre-recorded video evidence from complainants and witnesses in sexual offence trials reduces jury conviction rates, the Ministry of Justice said yesterday.’
Law Society's Gazette, 11th March 2025
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The body advising judges on criminal sentences has hit back at the justice secretary’s call for it to scrap new guidance on sentencing offenders from ethnic monitories.’
BBC News, 10th March 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood is set for a confrontation with the Sentencing Council later this week after they wrote to her warning her against “dictating” to judges over new measures which she fears will create a “two tier” legal system.’
The Independent, 10th March 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The Crime and Policing Bill 2024-25 was published on 27 February 2025. The bill is listed for second reading on 10 March 2025.’
House of Commons Library, 6th March 2025
Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk
‘Shabana Mahmood has ordered a review of the powers of the independent body that draws up judges’ sentencing guidelines in England and Wales following claims that new rules discriminate against white men.’
The Guardian, 6th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘When asked if she was surprised that most of the victims of Zhenhao Zou, who could be one of Britain’s worst serial rapists, remained unknown to authorities, Viny Poon, who has spent the past decade supporting east Asian women in the UK, simply said: “No.” Zou, a 28-year-old PhD student, was convicted on Wednesday of drugging and raping 10 women in London and China. After recovering videos of Zou attacking a further 50 women, police have said this could be one of the worst cases of sexual violence in modern Britain. All of Zou’s victims are thought to be of Chinese heritage.’
The Guardian, 6th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Pregnant women should not be sent to jail unless it is “unavoidable”, according to new sentencing guidelines.’
The Guardian, 5th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Ministers have criticised plans to make the ethnic background of offenders a greater factor in determining whether to jail them, saying they amounted to a “two-tier system” of justice.’
The Guardian, 6th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Since the guilty pleas by Axel Rudakubana, there has been a renewed and acute focus on liability for contempt of court, and specifically on what can be said after a suspect has been arrested. The Law Commission has today (3 March) published a brief supplementary consultation paper so that people have an opportunity to let us know their views about the law in light of those events.’
Law Commission, 3rd March 2025
Source: lawcom.gov.uk
‘Pornography depicting strangulation should be made illegal along with other kinds of “legal but harmful” sexual material, according to an independent government review.’
The Guardian, 27th February 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘More potential wrongful convictions could be sent back to the appeal court under proposals to change the way the miscarriages of justice watchdog decides cases.’
The Guardian, 27th February 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Campaigners give evidence on principle under which black people are 16 times more likely to be prosecuted than white people.’
The Guardian, 23rd February 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Police will be able to search properties without a warrant for stolen phones or other electronically geotagged items under the government’s crime and policing bill.’
The Guardian, 25th February 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Cutting crime and reducing the number of vulnerable women being sent to prison is top of the agenda at the first meeting of the Women’s Justice Board.’
Ministry of Justice, 21st February 2025
Source: www.gov.uk
‘Criminals caught with “signal jammers” will face up to five years in prison under new laws to crack down on gadgets used to steal cars.’
The Independent, 23rd February 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Earlier this month, the Government announced landmark reform to child sexual abuse personal injury claims. In legislation expected to be put before parliament next year, the 3-year time limit to bring such claims, which begins to run from a Claimant’s 18th birthday, will be abolished. The burden of proof on determining whether there can be a fair hearing will also shift, from the Claimant to the Defendant.’
Kingsley Napley Medical Negligence and Personal Injury Blog, 20th February 2025
Source: www.kingsleynapley.co.uk
‘Domestic abuse specialists embedded in control rooms receiving 999 emergency calls will help “create force-wide cultural change”, said Jess Phillips as the first phase of “Raneem’s law” was rolled out across England.’
The Guardian, 21st February 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘British policing’s use of algorithms and data to predict where crime will happen is racist and picks on the poor, a report from Amnesty International says.’
The Guardian, 19th February 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
© Inner Temple Library 2025