Category: criminal justice
Cherie slams Labour on ‘factory farm’ jails – The Guardian
“Cherie Blair has attacked the government’s handling of the criminal justice system by accusing Britain’s jails of failing to protect the public. In an outspoken speech that has drawn a strong rebuttal from the Ministry of Justice, Blair, a judge and QC, said at a human rights seminar that Britain had a ‘factory farm attitude to imprisonment’.”
The Guardian, 11th May 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Culture of complacency’ in criminal justice system – The Independent
” The criminal justice system was condemned for its ‘culture of complacency’ tonight (28th April).”
The Independent, 28th April 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Wife of murder victim Garry Newlove slams ‘disgraceful’ court system – The Times
” A woman who saw her husband kicked to death by a gang of teenagers outside their house in Cheshire told MPs that the courts system was ‘utterly disgraceful’.”
The Times, 22nd April 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
The CPS is putting prosecution standards at risk – The Times
“Justice and the public interest seem to come a poor second to targets that the Director of Public Prosecutions is insisting on.”
The Times, 22nd April 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Regina (Corner House Research and Another) v Director of the Serious Fraud Office – Times Law Reports
Regina (Corner House Research and Another) v Director of the Serious Fraud Office
Queen’s Bench Divisional Court
“The rule of law required that an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into bribery and corruption should be discontinued only by the independent judgment of the director of that office and not in response to a threat by a foreign power.”
The Times, 16th April 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
‘No one is entitled to interfere with the course of our justice’ – The Guardian
“Eighteen months after the Serious Fraud Office abandoned the BAE inquiry, two high court judges yesterday ruled the decision unlawful in a judgment that was stinging in its criticism of both the SFO and the British government for caving in to pressure from Saudi Arabia. The legal action was brought by the anti-bribery pressure group Corner House Research and the Campaign Against Arms Trade. Here are edited extracts from the summary judgment published yesterday.”
The Guardian, 11th April 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Bar Council and Law Society renew warning to Peers over Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill – The Bar Council
“The Bar Council, which represents over 15,000 barristers in England and Wales, has today urged members of the House of Lords to amend further a key provision of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, which is currently being considered in the Upper House.”
The Bar Council, 2nd April 2008
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Working for everyone: building community confidence in the criminal justice system – Ministry of Justice
“Jack Straw has given a lecture at the Royal Society of Arts on public confidence in the criminal justice system.”
Ministry of Justice, 26th March 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Justice reforms urged to win back public confidence – The Guardian
“Further fundamental reform of the criminal justice system is crucial if the government is to overcome a lack of public confidence, Gordon Brown has been warned by his own strategy unit.”
The Guardian, 24th March 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Former lord chief justice condemns ministers over prison conditions – The Guardian
“The former lord chief justice, Lord Woolf, has launched a stinging attack on the government’s criminal justice and prison policy, blaming it for allowing prisons to get so crowded that offenders have little chance to reform and abandon crime.”
The Guardian, 17th March 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Draft joint inspection report on the Crown Court 2004 – Ministry of Justice
“The Ministry of Justice has released a draft report that was prepared in 2003/04 by three criminal justice inspectorates following a joint inspection of the Crown Court … Although the report was not published at the time, and remains in draft format, a recent decision by the Information Commissioner has identified a genuine public interest in the disclosure of the report.”
Ministry of Justice, 4th March 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
David Hanson: local leadership essential to the future of criminal justice – Ministry of Justice
“Justice Minister David Hanson has called on Local Criminal Justice Boards to take the lead in responding to the needs of their communities and delivering improved services.”
Ministry of Justice, 20th February 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
‘Barely trained’ paralegals will be forced to take CPS cases to trial – The Times
“Plans are due to go ahead for thousands of trials a year to be prosecuted by non-lawyers, even though the paralegals themselves say that they are insufficiently trained, The Times has learnt.”
The Times, 19th February 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Cutting costs will hit the quality of our legal system – The Times
“This week plans come before the House of Lords to expand the powers of Crown Prosecution Service caseworkers to handle a wide range of magistrates’ courts cases. It may be logical to argue that deploying these so-called designated case workers or DCWs for minor cases will free more experienced and qualified lawyers for more serious work. Yet inherently it means that the quality of representation for the prosecution will decline – because we are prepared to pay only junior staff to handle cases in the lower courts.”
The Times, 19th February 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Very High Cost Criminal Cases – the future – Ministry of Justice
“The Legal Services Commission and Ministry of Justice today announced steps that are being taken in order to proceed with the tender to establish a Panel of solicitors and barristers to represent defendants in major criminal cases.”
Ministry of Justice, 5th February 2008
Source: www.wired-gov.net
Latest statistics – Ministry of Justice
“Details of the latest statistical updates, including statistics on the population in custody, end of custody licence releases, probation, sentencing, and women and the criminal justice system.”
Ministry of Justice, 31st Janaury 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Anger at bill for scrapped penal agency – The Observer
“The government was last night accused of squandering more than £1.5bn taxpayers’ money after it emerged that it is to dismantle its flagship body set up to reduce reoffending, as part of a wide-ranging review of the criminal justice system.”
The Observer, 27th January 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Peers warned of Crime Bill’s threat to justice system – The Bar Council
“The Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association have set out to the House of Lords their concerns over the controversial Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill.”
The Bar Council, 21st January 2008
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
