‘The first stage of a ground-breaking investigation into race and ethnic bias in the criminal justice system is now complete.’
Ministry of Justice, 1st July 2016
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
‘Sometimes the most fundamental principles can be most vulnerable to attack and/or erosion. As the government strives to tackle the threat posed by those who seek to undermine our democratic values in the context of an increasingly digital age, legal professional privilege (LPP) is in danger of becoming just that kind of principle.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 28th June 2016
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
‘The government has spent at least £600,000 of taxpayers’ money trying to prevent a civil case being brought against it by a husband and wife who allege that British intelligence was complicit in their detention, rendition and torture.’
The Guardian, 26th June 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Richard Miller explains what may be in store when the new criminal legal aid contracts come into force next year.’
Legal Voice, 23rd June 2016
Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk
‘Sex offenders think they’ll get away with it. And often they do. Sometimes it can take years to bring them to justice, while others escape retribution altogether. So how do you go about making sure perpetrators of horrendous crimes committed in the distant past are caught and convicted?’
BBC News, 20th June 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A practitioner group is challenging what it claims to be ‘repeated’ failures by prosecutors to disclose information on time by issuing a step-by-step guide for criminal defence solicitors.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 8th June 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Regina v AXN; Regina v ZAR [2016] EWCA Crim 590
‘Where an offender convicted of a crime has rendered assistance to the police or other law enforcement authorities, the police may provide the court with information regarding the assistance rendered in a confidential letter signed by a senior police officer, known as a “text”, but the obligation of the police to provide a text when requested by the offender is a very limited one. Although the court will always expect the police to inform the court of the fact that the police have made a decision not to provide a text as matter of case management, it is sufficient if the police merely state that they will not provide any information to the court in relation to the offender’s assertions of assistance. The police are not required to give any explanation of their reasons for the decision, or the stage at which they decided not to provide any information. The police need do no more than say that the police will not provide any information to the court. Such a statement to the court can generally be provided by letter and not by text. There may unusually be circumstances where the police would have to reveal in the reply the assertions of the offender that he had provided assistance; in such a case it might therefore be necessary to provide the response in the form of a text. Whether it is provided by letter or text, it must be signed by a senior officer of police (normally a superintendent) or an equivalent senior official in other law enforcement agencies (paras 6, 18, 22).’
WLR Daily, 27th May 2016
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
‘The ban on legal highs will not lead to the disappearance of spice and other synthetic, cannabis-like drugs because they are so profitable to dealers, a senior government drugs adviser has warned.’
The Guardian, 7th June 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The 25th anniversary of the release of the Birmingham Six serves as a powerful reminder of the fallibility of our justice system, says Jon Robins.’
New Law Journal, 2nd June 2016
Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk
‘As a new inquest approaches into the death of their autistic sister, family continues to fight for a law to boost the rights of relatives.’
The Guardian, 1st June 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Inquiry finds that a shortage of judges is contributing to two-thirds of trials in the Crown Court being delayed, or not going ahead at all.’
The Independent, 27th May 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Some of the music industry’s leading players are demanding that ticket touting be made a criminal offence for all UK concerts, plays and sporting events, Guardian Money can reveal.’
The Guardian, 21st May 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Children in care should not be prosecuted for minor offences, a report looking at their over-representation in the criminal justice system says.’
BBC News, 23rd May 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Pop-up” courts with easily transportable judicial stage sets, remote video screens and online access are needed to develop a more flexible justice system, according to a leading legal thinktank.’
The Guardian, 18th May 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘A cross-party campaign for radical reform of the police and criminal justice system in light of the Hillsborough inquests verdict has been launched by the shadow home secretary, Andy Burnham.’
The Guardian, 11th May 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Ciara O’Neill wrote recently on the Halsbury’s Law Exchange about Michael Gove’s talk on 4 November at the AGM of the Howard League for Penal Reform: “He believes that our sentencing framework needs a complete overhaul…Gove recognised that evidence shows short sentences are more likely than not to lead to recidivism, and that the system needs a more appropriate sentencing framework. This will be based on extensive research into the effectiveness of current sentencing practices.” (“Gove admits the UK sentencing framework needs to be more sensitive, & 7 more things we learned at the 2015 Howard League AGM“).’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 3rd May 2016
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
‘Serious failings in the Government’s privatisation of the probation services have been exposed in a damning report amid warnings that David Cameron’s “half-baked and reckless” policies have left the criminal justice system in a mess.’
The Independent, 2nd May 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
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