Most victims of domestic homicide have contacted police or NHS, review shows – The Guardian

‘A review of 302 domestic homicides recorded in a four-year period has found that the majority of those killed had been “hiding in plain sight”, having made contact with the police, health services and other public agencies before their death.’

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The Guardian, 6th December 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Reforms bring hope to rehabilitated people still serving abolished indefinite sentences – Ministry of Justice

‘Thousands of rehabilitated ex-prisoners serving long-since abolished indefinite sentences will become eligible to have their licence period terminated earlier as part of new reforms.’

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Ministry of Justice, 28th December 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Nearly half of Bar students now from ethnic minority backgrounds – Legal Futures

Posted December 1st, 2023 in barristers, diversity, equality, legal education, news, pupillage, statistics by tracey

‘Nearly half of UK students on the Bar training course are now from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to a quarter a decade ago, according to new figures.’

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Legal Futures, 1st December 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Greater Manchester Police ‘remains institutionally racist’ – BBC News

Posted November 28th, 2023 in news, police, racism, statistics by tracey

‘One of England’s biggest police forces remains “institutionally racist” and must do more to tackle the problem, a leading equality advisor has said.’

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BBC News, 28th November 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Women in mental health crisis still being jailed in prisons deemed ‘unfit for purpose’, major review warns – The Independent

Posted November 24th, 2023 in bills, imprisonment, mental health, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, statistics, women by tracey

‘Women dealing with severe mental illness are still being jailed despite prisons being “ill-equipped” to offer suitable care, a major review has warned.’

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The Independent, 23rd November 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Revealed: 16 years in prison for stealing a bike and no hope of release – as 7 trapped in jail kill themselves – The Independent

‘Seven inmates trapped in prison under indefinite jail terms have taken their own lives since the government refused to resentence them, The Independent can reveal. The prisons watchdog has launched investigations into a string of self-inflicted deaths amid a “worrying rise” in incidents among imprisonment for public protection (IPP) prisoners – with campaigners warning the “hopelessness” associated with the controversial sentences is having tragic consequences.’

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The Independent, 19th November 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Asylum backlog of older cases down by nearly half since July – The Independent

Posted November 16th, 2023 in asylum, delay, government departments, immigration, news, statistics by sally

‘The backlog of older cases in the UK asylum system fell by nearly half between July and October, new figures show.’

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The Independent, 15th November 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Government blames data error for figures showing suspects trapped five years in prison without trial – The Independent

Posted November 15th, 2023 in imprisonment, Ministry of Justice, news, remand, statistics by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice has blamed a data error after it published figures showing that 150 suspects had been trapped in jail for more than five years while awaiting trial.’

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The Independent, 14th November 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Royal Mail fined £5.6m by UK regulator for missing delivery targets – The Guardian

Posted November 14th, 2023 in fines, news, ombudsmen, postal service, statistics by sally

‘Royal Mail has been fined £5.6m by the regulator for missing its first- and second-class delivery targets.’

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The Guardian, 13th November 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Remand decision-making: Justice report reveals disparities in outcome for non-white defendants – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 10th, 2023 in bail, codes of practice, imprisonment, magistrates, news, prisons, remand, statistics by tracey

‘Magistrates are regularly not following the law when jailing people awaiting trial, according to a report being published by legal thinktank Justice today.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 9th November 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Magistrates in England not following law on remand decisions, charity finds – The Guardian

‘Magistrates are not following the law when sending thousands of people to jail on remand, exacerbating the prison overcrowding crisis in England, a report suggests.’

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The Guardian, 9th November 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Wiltshire Police criticised over Clare’s Law failings – BBC News

Posted November 7th, 2023 in disclosure, domestic violence, news, pilot schemes, police, statistics, victims by sally

‘Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland said he was “horrified and furious” over failings in a system designed to protect possible victims of domestic violence.’

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BBC News, 6th November 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Men start earning more than women at the Bar from day one – Legal Futures

Posted November 2nd, 2023 in barristers, diversity, equality, news, remuneration, sex discrimination, statistics, women by sally

‘Earnings diverge between male and female barristers in every practice area from the start of their careers – when the differential is 17% – and peak at 11-15 years’ call, new research has found.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd November 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Just under half of children returned to live with their families as result of entering Family Drug and Alcohol Court, annual report reveals – Local Government Lawyer

‘The President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has published his second annual report on the Family Drug and Alcohol Courts (FDACs), of which he states he has “long been a supporter”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th October 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Wiltshire police to review thousands of checks on suspected violent partners – The Guardian

Posted October 27th, 2023 in disclosure, domestic violence, news, ombudsmen, police, statistics by sally

‘A police force is reviewing thousands of applications made under Clare’s law, which gives people the right to ask whether a partner has a violent past, after it came to light that wrong or incomplete information has been given.’

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The Guardian, 26th October 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Suicide and violence in prisons rise by nearly 25%, as self-harm hits all-time high among women prisoners – The Independent

Posted October 27th, 2023 in mental health, news, prisons, self-harm, statistics, suicide, violence, women by sally

‘Suicide and serious violence have risen by nearly a quarter in men’s prisons in England and Wales, with self-harm skyrocketing to an all-time high in the women’s estate, as the government scrambles to ease the strain on jails overcrowded to breaking point.’

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The Independent, 26th October 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Police paedophiles: More than 30 guilty since January 2022 – BBC News

Posted October 25th, 2023 in child abuse, children, news, police, sexual offences, statistics by sally

‘More than 30 police and support officers have been convicted of child sex abuse offences in England and Wales since January 2022, BBC research has revealed.’

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BBC News, 25th October 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Drug-spiking reports rise fivefold but proportion leading to charges fall – The Guardian

Posted October 23rd, 2023 in criminal justice, drug offences, news, sexual offences, statistics by tracey

‘Drug-spiking incidents reported to the police have increased five-fold in five years, yet the proportion leading to a criminal charge is falling, freedom of information (FoI) requests show.’

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The Guardian, 23rd October 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Prison reforms will cut reoffending and put worst offenders behind bars for longer – Ministry of Justice

‘A fundamental shake-up of the justice system that takes dangerous offenders off the streets for longer while rehabilitating lower risk offenders has been outlined today by Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk.’

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Ministry of Justice, 16th October 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Courts increase sentences for child sex offenders – Attorney General’s Office

‘Figures released as part the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme annual statistics for 2022 show there were 23 child sex offence sentence increases. This was followed by 10 sentences increased for rape offences and 7 for cases involving grievous bodily harm.’

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Attorney General's Office, 17th October 2023

Source: www.gov.uk