‘Britain’s Forgotten Prisoners is a devastating documentary about the ‘public protection’ sentences that can amount to whole-of-life terms for relatively minor offences. Film-maker Martin Read explains his seven-year quest for justice.’
The Guardian,12th June 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘For the first time, by way of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act (“the Act”), Parliament has legislated to quash criminal convictions. In this post I will argue that, no matter how understandable, indeed laudable, the intention behind this legislation, in its haste to offer a speedy and comprehensive correction to mass injustice, Parliament has crossed a constitutional line and ventured into territory that is properly the preserve of the courts.’
UK Constitutional Law Association , 3rd June 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘The backlog of Crown Court cases in England and Wales is close to a record high – more than a quarter have now been open for over a year. In West Mercia, which covers a large part of the West Midlands and the counties bordering Wales, on average nearly 18 months pass between an incident occurring and a jury reaching a verdict. But many people have been waiting a lot longer for justice.’
BBC news, 10th June 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘“Justice delayed is justice denied” goes the old legal maxim – one that has captured the state of the court system in England and Wales in recent years.’
The Guardian, 2nd June 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Conservatives and Labour have held talks to work out what outstanding legislation can be rushed through parliament to become law before the Commons closes for the general election.’
The Independent, 23rd May 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The Ministry of Justice’s ambition to reduce the backlog in crown courts in England and Wales to 53,000 by March next year is no longer achievable, a parliamentary watchdog has said.’
The Guardian, 24th May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Police chiefs have told ministers they fear that the crisis gripping the Prison Service in England and Wales is “unsustainable” and risks public safety, the Guardian has learned.’
The Guardian, 21st May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Staff dedicated to helping neurodivergent offenders are now in place in all public prisons in England and Wales.’
Ministry of Justice, 16th May 2024
Source: www.gov.uk
‘Three climate activists have been convicted of “interference with key national infrastructure” by marching in the road in west London for 20 minutes, in the new offence’s first test at trial.’
The Guardian, 15th May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A new offence of causing death or serious injury by dangerous, careless or inconsiderate cycling is to be introduced.’
The Guardian, 15th May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Government has tabled amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill tightening the definition of ‘nuisance rough sleeping’ after MPs expressed concerns about the breadth of the legislation’s provisions.’
Local Government Lawyer, 15th May 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Some court appearances will be delayed as part of an emergency measure because of prison overcrowding.’
BBC News, 15th May 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Andrew Malkinson says he could have been spared “20 years of darkness and despair” if the jury system had not been changed to allow majority verdicts.’
The Guardian, 9th May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A group of campaigners recently called for the suspension of a circuit judge in a letter to the Lady Chief Justice. The letter alleged that the Judge had warned the Jury they could face criminal prosecution for returning a verdict based on their conscience and not the evidence. Charles Hannaford explores the current legislation governing jurors conduct in England and Wales.’
Mountford Chambers, 24th April 2024
Source: www.mountfordchambers.com
‘The Lady Chief Justice, Dame Sue Carr, has created a Transparency and Open Justice Board, which will “lead and coordinate the promotion of transparency and open justice across the courts and tribunals of England & Wales”.’
Local Government Lawyer, 1si May 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘A devoted father with a zest for life, he was given an indeterminate sentence in 2006. He is still locked up – and losing hope that he will ever be released.’
The Guardian, 1st May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The law in England and Wales (as in Australia and other jurisdictions) enables a person to be convicted of an offence committed by another using complicity liability, sometimes termed ‘joint enterprise’. In England and Wales, ‘joint enterprise’ has been widely criticised for: failing to distinguish between the moral and legal culpability of the person who commits the substantive offence and those on the periphery of it; being disproportionality applied in cases involving young men from black and mixed ethnic backgrounds; and for lacking legal legitimacy. Thus, it was hoped that the decision of the Supreme Court in England and Wales in 2016 to abolish the extended form of complicity liability, known as Parasitic Accessorial Liability (PAL), would resolve these issues. Reporting on interviews with police detectives, and prosecution and defence lawyers in England involved in cases of serious youth violence, this paper argues that the problems associated with ‘joint enterprise’ in England and Wales remain, despite the change in the law. This is due to there being only ‘subtle shift’ in practice and a continued reliance on racialised inferences about young men from black and mixed ethnic backgrounds. To reduce problems with disproportionality and improve the fairness of the law related to complicity liability, changes to police and prosecutorial practice are required, alongside meaningful law reform.’
Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 29th April 2024
Source: www.tandfonline.com
‘Rap and drill music was used as prosecution evidence for serious charges including alleged gang-related murders against at least 252 defendants in England and Wales over a three-year period, a study has found.’
The Guardian, 30th April 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
© Inner Temple Library 2024