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.’

Full story

Legal Voice, 16th November 2015

Source: www.legalvoice.org.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.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 17th November 2015

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Legal aid cuts: MoJ puts brakes on changes as solicitors revolt – The Independent

Posted November 16th, 2015 in budgets, law firms, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, tenders by sally

‘Moves to overhaul the legal-aid system have been delayed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the face of more than 100 challenges from solicitors’ firms who claim the whole process is fundamentally flawed.’

Full story

The Independent, 15th November 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Employment tribunal fees ‘may put off claimants’ – BBC News

‘The father of three sisters who brought employment claims against an award-winning chef has said tribunal fees could put people off filing a dispute.’

Full story

BBC News, 9th 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.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 6th November 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Spending review: Nine new prisons to replace Victorian jails – BBC News

Posted November 9th, 2015 in budgets, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, rehabilitation, statistics by sally

‘Nine new prisons will open in England and Wales – five by 2020 – under plans to close Victorian jails and sell them for housing, the government has said.’

Full story

BBC News, 9th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

No appetite for scrapping Human Rights Act, says Amnesty – The Guardian

Posted November 9th, 2015 in charities, human rights, Ministry of Justice, news, precedent, statistics by sally

‘Only one in 10 people in Britain believe that scrapping the Human Rights Act should be a major government priority, according to an opinion poll conducted by Amnesty International.’

Full story

The Guardian, 8th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Violent offenders: Fears over management after release – BBC News

‘Is the system in place to manage dangerous offenders when they are released from prison keeping people safe?’

Full story

BBC News, 25th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Former Serbian general awarded £50,000 over Wakefield prison attack – The Guardian

‘A former Serbian general convicted of genocide for his part in the Srebrenica massacre has been awarded more than £50,000 in compensation from the Ministry of Justice after his throat was cut in a British prison.’

Full story

the Guardian, 16th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MoJ tells noise-induced hearing loss working group to focus on fixed fees – Litigation Futures

Posted September 28th, 2015 in costs, fees, Ministry of Justice, news, noise, personal injuries by sally

‘The Civil Justice Council (CJC) group asked by the Ministry of Justice to investigate noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) claims is to look at how a fixed-costs regime might work, it has been announced.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 28th September 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Court fee hikes will tip justice balance towards rich – bar – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 16th, 2015 in barristers, civil justice, consultations, courts, equality, fees, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Bar Council has warned that government plans to increase court fees for a second time would unbalance civil justice, giving rich people and big businesses an unfair advantage.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 14th September 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Review of prison education: terms of reference – Ministry of Justice

‘A review of prison education to examine how it supports rehabilitation of different types of prison learners.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 11th September 2015

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

Pressure grows to scrap controversial new financial penalties for anyone convicted of a crime -The Independent

‘The outcry over the new financial penalties for anyone convicted of a crime presents Michael Gove with a crucial test of his willingness to jettison flawed policies inherited from Chris Grayling, his predecessor as Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor.’

Full story

The Independent, 11th September 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Government ‘selling justice like a commodity’ with fee rises – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 27th, 2015 in fees, Law Society, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Government plans for a new round of court fee rises are “tantamount to selling justice like a commodity”, the Law Society has said, as the Ministry of Justice acknowledged its plans would be unpopular.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 27th July 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

No damage caused by civil legal aid reforms, says defiant MoJ – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Cuts to civil legal aid have reduced the amount of “unnecessary and adversarial” litigation while ensuring funding is targeted at those who need it most, the government has said in response to a devastating report on changes to civil legal aid.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 14th July 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

High court challenge to government over services to Saudi prisons – The Guardian

Posted June 29th, 2015 in judicial review, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, tenders by sally

‘The legality of a bid by the commercial arm of the Ministry of Justice to provide services for Saudi Arabia’s prisons is to be challenged in the high court.’

Full story

The Guardian, 29th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Gove is right on our two-tier justice system – but cuts caused this crisis – The Guardian

‘We must modernise our courts but that won’t address the fact that those who need it most are failed by the system. Only investment can redress the balance.’

Full story

The Guardian, 24th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Conditions at Pentonville Prison so bad that staff can’t be bothered to mop up blood stains, report finds – The Independent

Posted June 24th, 2015 in drug abuse, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, violence by sally

‘Conditions at Pentonville Prison have been criticised in a damning reports cataloguing blood stained cells, habitual violence and prisoners claiming to have easy access to drugs.

Full story

The Independent, 23rd June 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Why is the MoJ so scared of allowing journalists into jails? – The Guardian

Posted June 24th, 2015 in media, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, reports by sally

‘Of course prisons are by their nature closed institutions, but we know what goes on in our schools and hospitals. The media shouldn’t be shut out.’

Full story

The Guardian, 24th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MoJ hit with further £249m of cuts – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 5th, 2015 in budgets, government departments, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice will have to find a further £249m of savings this year, as part of a fresh round of spending reductions following Whitehall’s in-year budget review announced today.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 4th June 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk