Government launches first ever national service framework for female offenders – Ministry of Justice

Posted June 2nd, 2008 in criminal justice, news, women by sally

“Ministerial Champion for Women in the Criminal Justice System, Maria Eagle MP, today launched a framework setting out the national strategy for delivering services to female offenders.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 30th May 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008

Posted May 15th, 2008 in criminal justice, immigration, legislation by sally

Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 published

Full text of Act (PDF)

Source: www.opsi.gov.uk

Cherie slams Labour on ‘factory farm’ jails – The Guardian

Posted May 12th, 2008 in criminal justice, news, prisons by sally

“Cherie Blair has attacked the government’s handling of the criminal justice system by accusing Britain’s jails of failing to protect the public. In an outspoken speech that has drawn a strong rebuttal from the Ministry of Justice, Blair, a judge and QC, said at a human rights seminar that Britain had a ‘factory farm attitude to imprisonment’.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th May 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Culture of complacency’ in criminal justice system – The Independent

Posted April 29th, 2008 in criminal justice, news by sally

” The criminal justice system was condemned for its ‘culture of complacency’ tonight (28th April).”

Full story

The Independent, 28th April 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Wife of murder victim Garry Newlove slams ‘disgraceful’ court system – The Times

Posted April 23rd, 2008 in criminal justice, murder, news, young offenders by sally

” A woman who saw her husband kicked to death by a gang of teenagers outside their house in Cheshire told MPs that the courts system was ‘utterly disgraceful’.”

Full story

The Times, 22nd April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

The CPS is putting prosecution standards at risk – The Times

“Justice and the public interest seem to come a poor second to targets that the Director of Public Prosecutions is insisting on.”

Full story

The Times, 22nd April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Regina (Corner House Research and Another) v Director of the Serious Fraud Office – Times Law Reports

Posted April 16th, 2008 in criminal justice, fraud, law reports, Saudi Arabia by sally

Regina (Corner House Research and Another) v Director of the Serious Fraud Office

Queen’s Bench Divisional Court

“The rule of law required that an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into bribery and corruption should be discontinued only by the independent judgment of the director of that office and not in response to a threat by a foreign power.”

The Times, 16th April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

‘No one is entitled to interfere with the course of our justice’ – The Guardian

Posted April 11th, 2008 in bribery, corruption, criminal justice, law reports, news, Saudi Arabia by sally

“Eighteen months after the Serious Fraud Office abandoned the BAE inquiry, two high court judges yesterday ruled the decision unlawful in a judgment that was stinging in its criticism of both the SFO and the British government for caving in to pressure from Saudi Arabia. The legal action was brought by the anti-bribery pressure group Corner House Research and the Campaign Against Arms Trade. Here are edited extracts from the summary judgment published yesterday.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th April 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bar Council and Law Society renew warning to Peers over Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill – The Bar Council

Posted April 2nd, 2008 in criminal justice, immigration, press releases by sally

“The Bar Council, which represents over 15,000 barristers in England and Wales, has today urged members of the House of Lords to amend further a key provision of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, which is currently being considered in the Upper House.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 2nd April 2008

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Working for everyone: building community confidence in the criminal justice system – Ministry of Justice

Posted March 27th, 2008 in criminal justice, lectures by sally

“Jack Straw has given a lecture at the Royal Society of Arts on public confidence in the criminal justice system.”

Full speech

Ministry of Justice, 26th March 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Justice reforms urged to win back public confidence – The Guardian

Posted March 25th, 2008 in criminal justice, news by sally

“Further fundamental reform of the criminal justice system is crucial if the government is to overcome a lack of public confidence, Gordon Brown has been warned by his own strategy unit.”

Full story

The Guardian, 24th March 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Former lord chief justice condemns ministers over prison conditions – The Guardian

Posted March 17th, 2008 in criminal justice, news, prisons by sally

“The former lord chief justice, Lord Woolf, has launched a stinging attack on the government’s criminal justice and prison policy, blaming it for allowing prisons to get so crowded that offenders have little chance to reform and abandon crime.”

Full story

The Guardian, 17th March 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Draft joint inspection report on the Crown Court 2004 – Ministry of Justice

Posted March 4th, 2008 in criminal justice, Crown Court, reports by sally

“The Ministry of Justice has released a draft report that was prepared in 2003/04 by three criminal justice inspectorates following a joint inspection of the Crown Court … Although the report was not published at the time, and remains in draft format, a recent decision by the Information Commissioner has identified a genuine public interest in the disclosure of the report.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 4th March 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

David Hanson: local leadership essential to the future of criminal justice – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 21st, 2008 in criminal justice, press releases by sally

“Justice Minister David Hanson has called on Local Criminal Justice Boards to take the lead in responding to the needs of their communities and delivering improved services.”

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 20th February 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Bar Council and Justice Renew Warning to Peers over Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill – The Bar Council

Posted February 20th, 2008 in barristers, criminal justice, criminal procedure, press releases by sally

“The Bill reaches a crucial stage of its consideration by the Upper House later today. The barristers’ representative body and Justice each object to Clause 42, which would amend the test applied by the Court of Appeal when considering an appeal against conviction, and to Clause 105, which would see more non-legal prosecution staff (‘Designated Case Workers’ – DCWs) conducting serious trials in magistrates’ courts.”

Full press release

The Bar Council, 20th February 2008

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

‘Barely trained’ paralegals will be forced to take CPS cases to trial – The Times

“Plans are due to go ahead for thousands of trials a year to be prosecuted by non-lawyers, even though the paralegals themselves say that they are insufficiently trained, The Times has learnt.”

Full story

The Times, 19th February 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Cutting costs will hit the quality of our legal system – The Times

“This week plans come before the House of Lords to expand the powers of Crown Prosecution Service caseworkers to handle a wide range of magistrates’ courts cases. It may be logical to argue that deploying these so-called designated case workers or DCWs for minor cases will free more experienced and qualified lawyers for more serious work. Yet inherently it means that the quality of representation for the prosecution will decline – because we are prepared to pay only junior staff to handle cases in the lower courts.”

Full story

The Times, 19th February 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Very High Cost Criminal Cases – the future – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 5th, 2008 in costs, criminal justice, legal profession, press releases by sally

“The Legal Services Commission and Ministry of Justice today announced steps that are being taken in order to proceed with the tender to establish a Panel of solicitors and barristers to represent defendants in major criminal cases.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 5th February 2008

Source: www.wired-gov.net

Latest statistics – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 31st, 2008 in criminal justice, news, statistics by sally

“Details of the latest statistical updates, including statistics on the population in custody, end of custody licence releases, probation, sentencing, and women and the criminal justice system.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 31st Janaury 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Anger at bill for scrapped penal agency – The Observer

Posted January 28th, 2008 in criminal justice, news by sally

“The government was last night accused of squandering more than £1.5bn taxpayers’ money after it emerged that it is to dismantle its flagship body set up to reduce reoffending, as part of a wide-ranging review of the criminal justice system.”

Full story

The Observer, 27th January 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk