Smacking must be banned to bring UK into line with international law – report to UN insists – Daily Telegraph

‘Report compiled for UN by Government’s children’s tsars demands “immediate repeal” of laws allowing parents to hit their children.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 1st July 2015

Source: www.telegraph.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

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

Government ordered to publish redacted fracking report in full – The Guardian

‘A heavily-redacted government report on the impacts of fracking on house prices, businesses and services in rural areas must be published in full, the UK’s information commissioner has ruled.’

Full story

The Guardian, 18th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Independent reviewer recommends redraft of UK surveillance laws – OUT-LAW.com

‘Existing UK surveillance laws should be scrapped and replaced by a “comprehensive and comprehensible new law…drafted from scratch”, the barrister appointed to review UK terrorism legislation has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 16th June 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Release ‘critical’ reports into privately run immigration centres, ICO orders – The Guardian

Posted June 16th, 2015 in disclosure, freedom of information, immigration, news, publishing, reports by sally

‘Potentially damaging reports into the running of two immigration detention centres by private contractors must be released by the Home Office within weeks, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 15th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Britain Can Lead the World In Online Privacy – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted June 16th, 2015 in data protection, internet, investigatory powers, news, privacy, reports, terrorism by sally

‘British legal history has long inspired the common law world. The Magna Carta, an 800-year-old agreement between a King and his barons, remains an icon of liberty, seen around the world as the foundation stone of the rule of law. In contrast, British law on online surveillance and privacy has been arcane and obscure – a field that is for reluctant experts if it is for anyone at all.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 13th June 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Watchdog praises Care Act implementation but warns of burden on councils – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 12th, 2015 in budgets, community care, local government, news, reports, social services by sally

‘he Department of Health’s cost estimates and chosen funding mechanisms for implementing the first phase of the Care Act 2014 have put local authorities under increased financial risk given the uncertain level of demand for adult social care, the National Audit Office has said.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 11th June 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

IPCC will not investigate Orgreave police action during miners’ strike – The Guardian

‘The Independent Police Complaints Commission will not mount a formal investigation into allegations of criminal wrongdoing by police even though it has found evidence to suggest that police officers assaulted miners at the mass picket of the Orgreave coking plant during the 1984-85 miners’ strike, then perverted the course of justice and committed perjury in the failed prosecutions which followed.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Shaming failure’ to protect Eccles cellar girl – BBC News

Posted June 9th, 2015 in news, reports, social services, trafficking in human beings by sally

‘A girl who was kept in a cellar and repeatedly raped was the victim of a “shaming failing” by those who should have protected her, a report has said. An independent review published by Salford Safeguarding Board said it was “difficult to think of a more vulnerable child”.’

Full story

BBC News, 8th June 0215

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prison suicides: Warning over segregating at-risk inmates – BBC News

Posted June 9th, 2015 in news, prisons, reports, suicide by sally

‘The suicides of eight prisoners have prompted a warning to prison governors about the risk of keeping “at-risk” inmates in segregation.’

Full story

BBC News, 9th June 0215

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Detainees ‘confused’ by legal aid cuts – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 4th, 2015 in detention, immigration, legal aid, news, reports by sally

‘Legal aid cuts in immigration cases have created a climate of confusion and mistrust in detention centres, according to a pressure group’s research.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 3rd June 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Cost of data breach incidents to business soars, finds UK government study – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 4th, 2015 in costs, data protection, news, reports by sally

‘The worst data breach incidents are costing UK businesses between £1.5 million and £3m on average through business disruption, lost sales and assets and damage to reputation, new research by the UK government and consultancy PwC has found.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 3rd June 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Men and women ‘cannot consent to sex if they are drunk’, new report suggests – The Independent

Posted June 4th, 2015 in alcohol abuse, consent, news, rape, reports by sally

‘A rape charity has welcomed a report into sexual offence legislation that has called for legal amendments so a person who is severely intoxicated would lose the capacity to consent to sex.’
Full story

The Independent, 3rd June 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The police ask to look at our private messages once every 120 seconds – The Independent

‘Police officers in the UK ask for permission to monitor use of emails, text messages and internet searches once every two minutes, a new report has disclosed.’

Full story

The Independent, 1st June 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Rape victims failed by under-resourced police and prosecutors, report finds – The Guardian

Posted June 2nd, 2015 in Crown Prosecution Service, news, police, rape, reports, sexual offences, victims by sally

‘Rape victims are being failed by a lack of resources among police and prosecutors, a new report has found.’

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Election ‘most disproportionate in history’ say campaigners – BBC News

Posted June 2nd, 2015 in constitutional reform, elections, news, proportionality, reports by sally

‘The 2015 general election was the “most disproportionate in British history”, the Electoral Reform Society has said.’

Full story

BBC News, 1st June 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Surveillance and privacies – OUP Blog

‘In its recent report, Privacy and Security: A modern and transparent legal framework, the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee pondered on the scale of public concern about digital surveillance:

“It is worth noting that this debate does not seem to arise in the context of the Agencies intercepting letters, or listening to people’s home or office landline calls. So what is it about the internet that makes it different? For many, the free and open nature of the internet represents liberty and democracy, and they consider that these values should not be compromised for the sake of detecting a minority who wish to use it for harmful purposes.”’

Full story

OUP Blog, 28th May 2015

Source: http://blog.oup.com

CPS delays take police off frontline, says report – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 28th, 2015 in Crown Prosecution Service, delay, news, police, prosecutions, reports by sally

‘Official study by watchdog finds series of failings with the way police and prosecutors deal with charging criminals.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 28th May 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Court fines and council tax turning into problem debt, says Citizens Advice – The Guardian

Posted May 28th, 2015 in council tax, debts, fines, news, reports by sally

‘Magistrates’ fines and council tax bills are driving increasing numbers of people into problem debt, an advice charity said on Tuesday, as low wages and the increased cost of living squeeze household finances.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk