Drugs: UK should consider legalising possession, MPs say – BBC News

‘The government should investigate decriminalising the possession of all illegal drugs in a bid to prevent the rising number of related deaths, a group of MPs has said.’

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BBC News, 23rd October 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Dog thieves are not being pursued by police as £500 rule leaves pets languishing as low priority, say campaigners – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 17th, 2019 in animal cruelty, animals, criminal justice, dogs, gangs, news, police, sentencing, statistics, theft by sally

‘Dogs may be our best friends and their unwavering loyalty priceless but thefts of them are not being pursued by police because most are worth under £500 and so rated a minor low level crime, say campaigners.’

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Daily Telegraph, 16th October 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Howard League for Penal Reform: Parmoor Lecture – Crown Prosecution Service

‘I aim to be clear this evening about my role as the nation’s chief prosecutor, on behalf of the CPS which I lead. At a time of national upheaval and some political uncertainty, the role of a properly-funded and fully independent prosecution authority is absolutely pivotal.’

Full speech

Crown Prosecution Service 14th October 2019

Source: www.cps.gov.ukwww.cps.gov.ukwww.cps.gov.uk

Release under investigation gives criminals ‘carte blanche’, says CBA – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 15th, 2019 in criminal justice, news, recidivists, statistics by sally

‘Too many suspects are being released under investigation, giving violent offenders ‘carte blanche to reoffend’, the Criminal Bar Association has warned.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th October 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Incomprehensible’ MoJ guides airbrush barristers out, says Bar Council – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 14th, 2019 in barristers, courts, criminal justice, Crown Court, news, solicitors by sally

‘Guides explaining the workings of criminal courts should be corrected “as a matter of urgency” according to the Bar Council, which claims they “effectively airbrush out of history the role of barristers”.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th October 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Too many children in care end up in the criminal justice system – we need to do better – Family Law

Posted October 10th, 2019 in children, criminal justice, news, young offenders, youth courts by sally

‘Laura Cooper writes about the crucial role that youth justice lawyers have to play in reducing the criminalisation of looked after children at the police station.’

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Family Law, 9th October 2019

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Criminal cases delayed across England and Wales as courts lie idle – The Guardian

Posted August 20th, 2019 in courts, criminal justice, delay, news by sally

‘Nearly half of all crown courts across England and Wales were left empty on Monday, a survey suggests, even though lawyers say they have never known the backlog of criminal cases to be so bad.’

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The Guardian, 19th August 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

High Court: Silence in disciplinary proceedings can lead to adverse inferences – Legal Futures

‘Disciplinary proceedings are not a “criminal/civil hybrid” and tribunals may draw adverse inferences from respondents staying silent, the High Court has made clear.’

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Legal Futures, 19th August 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Number of people dealt with by criminal justice system falls to lowest level since records began – The Independent

‘The number of people prosecuted or handed penalties for crimes in England and Wales has fallen to a record low as offences rise. Statistics released by the Ministry of Justice showed the figure dropped by 2 per cent to 1.59 million people in the year to March.’

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The Independent, 15th August 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal system ‘beyond the point of collapse’ as three men avoid jail – BBC News

‘The legal system in England and Wales is “beyond the point of collapse”, according to a Crown Court judge. Judge Simon Carr gave three men suspended sentences instead of sending them to jail because of how long it had taken for the case to get to court.’

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BBC News, 31st July 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sex assault suspects should be granted anonymity, new justice secretary says – The Independent

Posted August 1st, 2019 in anonymity, criminal justice, news, sexual offences by sally

‘Sex crime suspects and others accused of serious offences should remain anonymous until charged if they have a reputation to protect, the new justice secretary has said.’

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The Independent, 1st August 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Report calls for better regulation of criminal defence work – Legal Futures

Posted July 23rd, 2019 in advocacy, criminal justice, fees, news, standards by sally

‘An “effective system” is needed for monitoring the quality of criminal defence lawyers, a report by charity Transform Justice has found.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd July 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Victims’ commissioner calls for shake-up of laws to allow thousands of victims of crime right to appeal “soft” sentences – Daily Telegraph

‘Thousands of victims of crime currently denied the right to appeal “soft” sentences should be allowed to do so, says the victims’ commissioner, as she today calls for a shake-up of the law.’

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Daily Telegraph, 20th July 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Violence rockets as police solve 40,000 fewer crimes a year in deepening ‘crisis’ – The Independent

Posted July 19th, 2019 in criminal justice, news, prosecutions, statistics by sally

‘Violence has risen by 20 per cent in a year as the number of crimes solved plummeted by 40,000, new figures show amid warnings of a deepening “crisis” in the justice system.’

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The Independent, 18th July 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

New rights for victims of crime – Ministry of Justice

Posted July 17th, 2019 in codes of practice, criminal justice, press releases, victims by sally

‘Victims of crime will receive greater support under government plans to boost their rights at every stage of the justice system.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 17th July 2019

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Police failing to solve crimes committed against elderly people, report finds – The Independent

Posted July 17th, 2019 in criminal justice, elderly, news, police, prosecutions, reports, victims by sally

‘Police are failing to solve crimes committed against elderly people and letting perpetrators walk free, watchdogs have warned. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate found that care for older victims was not good enough in more than half of cases examined.’

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The Independent, 17th July 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Courts to consider wider consequences of arson and criminal damage – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 4th, 2019 in arson, codes of practice, courts, criminal damage, criminal justice, news by sally

‘Courts are expected to get tougher on people who vandalise listed buildings, start a fire at a school or cause criminal damage at a train station under guidelines unveiled today. The Sentencing Council says its arson guidelines, which come into force in October, acknowledge that harm can include psychological effects and damage to property can be about more than just the financial value.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd July 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Junior judges face zero-hours working conditions, say lawyers – The Guardian

Posted July 1st, 2019 in budgets, courts, criminal justice, Crown Court, judiciary, news, part-time work by sally

‘Junior judges are being put on what are in effect zero-hours contracts as the criminal justice system succumbs to a fresh round of austerity and courtrooms are closed down, lawyers are warning.’

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The Guardian, 30th June 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Crime solving rates ‘woefully low’, Met Police Commissioner says – BBC News

Posted June 27th, 2019 in crime, criminal justice, news, police by sally

‘Too many crimes are being left unsolved, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said.’

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BBC News, 26th June 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Revenge porn and ‘cyber-flashing’ laws go under review – The Guardian

‘Victims of revenge porn may be given automatic anonymity in court under a government-initiated review of online harassment that could recommend criminalising “cyber-flashing” and “deepfake” images.’

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The Guardian, 26th June 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com