Criminal courts charge to be scrapped by government – BBC News
‘The criminal courts charge is to be scrapped, Justice Secretary Michael Gove has announced.’
BBC News, 3rd December 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: criminal justice
Making new criminal offences – Ministry of Justice
‘This guidance is for officials who may be considering creating new criminal offences or amending existing criminal offences.’
Ministry of Justice, 2nd December 2015
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
Judge’s anger at being ‘unable to protect public’ from serial drink-driver who is a ‘death in waiting’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Birmingham judge bemoans sentencing powers that leave him unable to impose a ‘sentence that is deserved’ in case of ‘deadly’ drink-driver.’
Daily Telegraph, 1st December 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
LSB joins solicitors in questioning government’s criminal advocacy plans – Legal Futures
‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has joined solicitors in questioning government plans to introduce additional regulation of criminal advocacy.’
Legal Futures, 1st December 2015
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Judicial review pushes back crime contracts to April – Legal Voice
‘The Ministry of Justice announced on Friday that the introduction of duty provider contracts will be pushed back from January to April 1 next year. Only the previous week, the MOJ continued to insist that despite the threat of legal challenges, the new duty provider contracts would come into force from 01 January 2016.’
Legal Voice, 16th November 2015
Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk
Speech by HHJ Edmund QC on Better Case Management and the Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
‘Speech by HHJ Edmund QC at the Criminal Bar Association Ann Goddard Memorial Lecture on 3 November 2015 entitled ”All Change: What you need to know about Better Case Management and the Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing”.
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 17th November 2015
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
Court charge creates “perverse incentive” for guilty pleas – The Bar Council
‘Criminal court charges create perverse incentives for the innocent to plead guilty, warns Bar Council chairman Alistair MacDonald QC, ahead of today’s parliamentary debate. He also points out that we still do not know if the Government is on track to raise £265 million it proposed to bring in over the course of this Parliament.’
The Bar Council, 17th November 2015
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Rise in sex crimes not due to historical cases, says lord chief justice – The Guardian
‘Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd says better treatment of victims by criminal justice system encouraging more people to report sexual assaults.’
The Guardian, 17th November 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Tribunals president urges web-based “expansion of justice” and rationalisation of judiciary – Litigation Futures
‘The courts should embrace IT and the internet in ways that improve access to justice and make scarce resources go further, if the values embodied in Magna Carta are to be realised, according to a senior judge.’
Litigation Futures, 17th November 2015
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Speech by Sir Ernest Ryder: In the Shadow of Magna Carta – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
‘The Rt Hon Sir Ernest Ryder gave a speech “In the Shadow of Magna Carta” in Washington DC on 13 November 2015.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 13th November 2015
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
Speech by the Lord Chief Justice: The Centrality of Justice – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
‘Speech by the Lord Chief Justice, “The Centrality of Justice: Its contribution to Society, and its Delivery” The Lord Williams of Mostyn Memorial Lecture on 10 November 2015.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 16th November 2015
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
Sir Brian Leveson: Security and Justice – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
‘Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen’s Bench Division gave the 13th Annual Isaiah Berlin Lecture in London on 12 November 2015.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 13th November 2015
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
Legal Aid Cuts: The Solicitors’ Verdict – BBC Law in Action
‘Solicitors are in uproar over government changes to the criminal legal aid system. The budget has been slashed by 17.5 per cent and the number of firms eligible to provide duty solicitors to represent clients at police stations has been reduced from 1600 to just over 500.’
BBC Law in Action, 3rd November 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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
‘Since his appointment as Justice Secretary & Lord Chancellor in May this year, the Rt Hon Michael Gove has maintained a fairly low profile. Aside from his Making Prisons Work speech in July, Mr Gove’s plans for the future of the Criminal Justice System have not been very clearly outlined. Although since his swearing in, to the delight of many, Gove has managed to overturn the previous Lord Chancellor, Chris Grayling’s ban on books for prisoners; scrapped plans to create a super youth prison; and halted massively controversial plans for the UK to undertake Saudi Arabian prison training contracts.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 6th November 2015
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Criminal courts charge denied compensation to rape victim, MPs told – The Independent
‘A rape victim did not get compensation from her attacker because of the Government’s controversial new court charge, MPs have been told.’
The Independent, 27th October 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Courts charge leaves victims waiting for justice, says former Solicitor General – The Independent
‘The Government’s controversial courts charge is causing major delays and leaving victims waiting for justice, a former Solicitor General has said.’
The Independent, 21st October 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Criminal court charge punishes poorest the most, says magistrate who quit in protest – The Guardian
‘A magistrate who resigned in disgust at criminal courts charges being imposed on defendants who plead or are found guilty has told the Guardian the fine “disproportionately punishes the poorest in our community”.’
The Guardian, 16th October 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
