The pints of justice? Could courts cases be heard in pubs? – Daily Telegraph

‘Lord Chief Justice appears to agree with calls to have cases heard in hotels and pubs as one in five courts are closed.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 23rd February 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Early guilty pleas: Justice for whom? – UK Human Rights Blog

‘New guidelines incentivising people accused of criminal offences in England and Wales to plead guilty as early as possible were proposed last week. While existing rules allow for a maximum one-third reduction in the sentence to those who plead guilty at the ‘first reasonable opportunity’, this benefit is now only available to those who plead guilty at their very first court hearing, with the available reduction falling on a steeper sliding scale thereafter.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 15th February 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Regulatory offenders could face lower fine discounts if they wait to plead guilty, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

‘Companies which face prosecution for health and safety, environmental and other regulatory breaches would have to plead guilty at an earlier stage or risk higher fines under new proposals put forward by the Sentencing Council, an expert has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 12th February 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Review of the youth justice system – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 12th, 2016 in criminal justice, news, reports, young persons, youth courts by sally

‘An interim report of emerging findings from the review of the youth justice system.’

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 9th February 2016

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

HM Courts and Tribunals Service estate – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 12th, 2016 in budgets, civil justice, consultations, courts, criminal justice, news by sally

‘The government is committed to modernising the way in which justice is accessed and delivered. We are investing over £700m over the next 4 years to update the court and tribunal estate, installing modern IT systems and making the justice system more efficient and effective for modern users.’

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 11th February 2016

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

Criminal trials to be held in universities after closure of one in five courts – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 12th, 2016 in budgets, courts, criminal justice, news by sally

‘Alternative venues including universities, town halls and community centres will stage legal proceedings as ministers announce closure of 86 courts.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 11th February 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Review of racial bias and BAME representation in Criminal Justice System announced – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 1st, 2016 in bias, criminal justice, equality, press releases, race discrimination, statistics by tracey

‘The Prime Minister has asked David Lammy MP to investigate evidence of possible bias against black defendants and other ethnic minorities.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 31st January 2016

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

Bar Council welcomes Lord Chancellor’s decision to scrap two-tier contracting – The Bar Council

‘The Bar Council has welcomed the Lord Chancellor’s announcement today that the Government is to dispense with the two-tier contracting system.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 28th January 2016

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Michael Gove has scrapped the Government’s planned legal aid cuts – The Independent

Posted January 29th, 2016 in budgets, criminal justice, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘The Government has scrapped major cuts to the criminal legal aid system in England and Wales, it has announced.’

Full story

The Independent, 28th January 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Victims are ill-served by the justice system: this bill will change that – The Guardian

‘The case of Poppi Worthington is the latest in a lamentable catalogue of misses by police or prosecutors. It demonstrates why the law needs to change.’

Full story

The Guardian, 25th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The scales of justice and the establishment – OUP Blog

‘Reports that luminaries of the ‘establishment,’ including Archbishop Carey, were queuing up to write letters directly to the Director of Public Prosecutions in support of Bishop Peter Ball, who was eventually convicted of numerous sex offences, is hardly a revelation. Bishops of the Church of England move in the rarefied circles of the establishment, such as the London clubs. Bishop Ball’s influential friends promoted the interests of their friend. What else are friends for? No doubt, those who wrote in Bishop Ball’s defence did so in good faith and were, hopefully, as astounded by his eventual confession as the rest of us were outraged.’

Full story

OUP Blog, 18th January 2016

Source: www.blog.oup.com

Thousands of trials end over no-show witnesses – watchdog – BBC News

Posted January 19th, 2016 in criminal justice, domestic violence, news, reports, trials, witnesses by sally

‘More than 11,000 criminal trials in England and Wales had to be abandoned last year because witnesses pulled out or did not appear at court, a watchdog has said.’

Full story

BBC News, 19th January 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Top judge says justice system is now unaffordable to most – The Guardian

‘Civil justice is unaffordable for most people, more people are being forced to represent themselves, and judges – whose pensions have been cut – feel underappreciated, according to the lord chief justice.’

Full story

The Guardian, 13th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Too many people unfit to plead face criminal trials, says Law Commission – The Independent

Posted January 11th, 2016 in criminal justice, fitness to plead, Law Commission, mental health, news, trials by tracey

‘Commission will tell Government legal tests to determine whether someone is mentally fit for trial are Victorian legacies.’

Full story

The Independent, 10th January 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

SRA asks: Are solicitors to blame for declining criminal advocacy standards? – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is to research this year whether standards of criminal advocacy are declining and whether solicitors are to blame. As part of the research, the SRA said it would ask judges whether solicitor and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advocates were “working beyond their level of competence”.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 8th January 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Earnings of criminal legal aid barristers fall 8% in two years – Legal Futures

Posted December 18th, 2015 in barristers, criminal justice, legal aid, news, remuneration by tracey

‘The fee income of Crown Court legal aid barristers from the Advocated Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS) has fallen by 8% in the last two years, new figures have shown.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 18th December 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

More cases to be heard by magistrates – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Criminal cases should be sent to the Crown court only if they are “clearly unsuitable” for trial in the magistrates’ court, the Sentencing Council says in fresh guidance to ensure cases are tried and sentenced in the appropriate court.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 10th December 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

That’s Entertainment? The Anonymity of Arrestees and the Law – Doughty Street

‘Last week, The Mirror reported that John Leslie was being questioned by police in connection with an alleged sexual assault. The report contained photographs of the police with evidence bags outside Leslie’s house. The Mirror reminded its readers of allegations made against the former TV presenter in 2002 and 2008. This the most recent example of media reports concerning allegations of sexual offences involving public figures.’

Full story

Doughty Street, 2nd December 2015

Source: www.doughtystreet.co.uk

MoJ considers specialist courts for issues such as domestic abuse – The Guardian

‘The potential for developing more US-style specialist tribunals – including courts dedicated to tackling the surge in domestic abuse cases – is being examined by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).’

Full story

The Guardian, 7th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Courts – Written statement to Parliament – Ministry of Justice

Posted December 3rd, 2015 in costs, courts, criminal courts charge, criminal justice, press releases by tracey

‘The courts take money from offenders in a number of ways, including fines, the victim surcharge, compensation orders, prosecution costs and the Criminal Courts Charge. This array of penalties, fines and charges is complex and confusing. I have therefore asked my department to review the entire structure, and purpose, of court-ordered financial impositions for offenders, in order to bring greater simplicity and clarity to the system.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 3rd December 2015

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