Government outlines plans for better IT use in courts system – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 16th, 2012 in courts, criminal justice, guilty pleas, news by sally

“The Government has outlined plans for improving the technology used by police and the courts system to make judicial processes faster and more efficient. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said that past investments cost too much and under-performed.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 16th July 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Criminal Justice Minister Nick Herbert says justice ‘must be swift, sure and seen to be done, or it’s not done at all’ – The Independent

Posted July 16th, 2012 in courts, criminal justice, delay, news by sally

“The criminal justice system can be opaque, impenetrable, too concerned with defendants and too little concerned about victims, Nick Herbert said today (13 July).”

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The Independent, 13th July 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Government outlines plans for fast-track justice – The Guardian

“‘Flash incarceration’ of offenders who breach court orders, widespread naming online of those convicted, more witnesses giving evidence via videolink and Sunday court sittings are among measures outlined in government plans to speed up justice.”

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The Guardian, 13th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Creating a swift and sure criminal justice system – Ministry of Justice

Posted July 13th, 2012 in courts, criminal justice, delay, news by sally

“Far-reaching plans to reform the criminal justice system by reducing delays, tackling waste and overhauling unnecessarily bureaucratic systems were launched today by Criminal Justice Minister Nick Herbert.”

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Ministry of Justice, 13th July 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Lords “Reform”: The Justice and Security Bill – Angela Patrick – UK Human Rights Blog

“Last night saw the latest round of Lords debate on the Justice and Security Bill. It should be required reading for the Secretary of State. Peers from all benches challenged the Government’s case for the breadth of reform proposed in the Bill. A number of amendments have been tabled jointly in the names of members of the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Lords Constitution Committee, both Committees having already castigated the Government’s proposals as potentially harmful to the common law principles of open, adversarial and equal justice.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 12th July 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘Swift justice’ could resolve court cases within hours – The Guardian

Posted July 13th, 2012 in criminal justice, delay, magistrates, news by sally

“Criminal cases could be dealt with in days or even hours under plans to bring in “swift and sure justice”, ministers will say on Friday.”

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The Guardian, 13th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lawyers decry government plans for ‘flexible courts’ to speed up justice – The Guardian

“Plans to overhaul the court system to hold evening and weekend hearings, first introduced at the height of last summer’s riots and now being deployed for the Olympics, have met strong opposition from lawyers being forced to work longer hours.”

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The Guardian, 9th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Clive Stafford Smith: ‘The jury system in this country is utter insanity’ – The Guardian

Posted July 9th, 2012 in criminal justice, death penalty, juries, mental health, news, victims by sally

“The lawyer and founder of Reprieve on defending clients on death row, why the whole justice system is flawed – and his fear of appearing sanctimonious.”

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The Guardian, 8th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Courts unprepared for Olympics, warns top solicitor – The Guardian

Posted July 5th, 2012 in courts, criminal justice, news, sport by sally

“A leading solicitor has expressed concern that London courts are ‘creaking’ and may not be able to cope with the additional pressures that arise during the Olympics – when some courts will be holding fewer sittings.”

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The Guardian, 4th July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The future place of restorative justice in the criminal justice system – Speech by Lord McNally

The future place of restorative justice in the criminal justice system

Speech by Lord McNally

Ministry of Justice, 3rd July 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Rapid riot prosecutions more important than long sentences, says Keir Starmer – The Guardian

Posted July 4th, 2012 in criminal justice, news, prosecutions, sentencing, violent disorder by sally

“Director of public prosecutions challenges received wisdom that heavy sentences for rioters worked as an effective deterrence.”

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The Guardian, 3rd July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Courtroom profiles: ‘I think the lives of all of us have changed’ – The Guardian

“Reading the Riots spoke to people with various experiences of the justice system, including a judge, lawyers and a looter.”

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The Guardian, 3rd July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Riot sentencing put ‘nice kids’ behind bars, lawyers say – The Guardian

Posted July 4th, 2012 in criminal justice, news, sentencing, violent disorder, young offenders by sally

“Sentencing rulebook was ‘torn up and thrown away’, magistrate says, but prosecutors argue harsher punishments were justified.”

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The Guardian, 3rd July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Chaos in the courts as justice system rushed to restore order – The Guardian

“Prosecutors speak of their pride in the way the CPS and the courts rose to the unprecedented challenge of the English riots, but defence lawyers tell a story of panic and paralysis.”

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The Guardian, 3rd July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Disaster averted but questions remain over courts’ response to riots – The Guardian

Posted July 4th, 2012 in courts, criminal justice, legal services, news, sentencing, violent disorder by sally

“Was the remand system used appropriately, was due process sufficiently observed and were the stiff sentences justified?”

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The Guardian, 3rd July 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Thank god inquests are still open, but can we have some consistency please? – The Guardian

Posted June 6th, 2012 in coroners, criminal justice, inquests, judiciary, news, public interest by sally

“Thanks either to coalition politics or press pressure, proposals for ‘secret’ inquests were last week ceremoniously ditched from the justice and security bill.”

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The Guardian, 6th June 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Let victims of crime track case online, says thinktank – The Guardian

Posted June 6th, 2012 in criminal justice, internet, news, victims by sally

“Victims of crime in England and Wales should be able to track their case online from the moment it is reported to the point when justice is served, a thinktank has said.”

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The Guardian, 5th June 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal aid cuts: if lawyers don’t defend justice for all, who will?

“A pillar of postwar society has been shattered by the legal aid cuts: that’s why a strike is now on the cards.”

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The Guardian, 22nd May 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sam Hallam: the cost of failure – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted May 18th, 2012 in criminal justice, miscarriage of justice, murder, news by sally

“Imagine that and you are 17-years-old and wrongly convicted! Yesterday, the Court of Appeal quashed Sam Hallam’s conviction for murder by joint enterprise after he had served seven years of a life sentence. He is now 24. He has been inside since before Take That announced they would reform and before Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire became the highest grossing film of 2005. He has missed the 2008 Olympics and Diversity winning #BGT. He will not have been Facebooking his mates or hanging out with girls. He has no employment history, no iPhone and his Dad committed suicide whilst he was imprisoned.”

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 18th May 2012

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

4,000 foreign criminals at large in community despite being earmarked for deportation – The Independent

Posted May 16th, 2012 in bail, criminal justice, deportation, news by tracey

“Nearly 4,000 foreign criminals are still at large in the community despite being earmarked for deportation, it emerged last night.”

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The Independent, 16th May 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk