‘Granting Levi Bellfield’s request to get married in prison is “inconceivable” unless serious safeguarding concerns are addressed, Dominic Raab has said. Bellfield, who murdered Marsha McDonnell, Amelie Delagrange and Milly Dowler, is engaged and has requested a prison wedding, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.’
The Guardian, 12th April 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A former civil servant received a six-figure pay-out from the government over discrimination after she says was subjected to “insidious” racism during a 20-year battle with the Ministry of Justice.’
The Independent, 8th May 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) have “missed opportunities to swiftly deliver an ambitious court reform programme”, MPs on the justice select committee say today.’
Legal Futures, 27th April 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A new official route for the online publication of court judgments marks “a vital step towards better transparency” in the justice system, the government said today. As the Gazette revealed last year, the new service from the National Archives, called Find Case Law, presents judgments formatted to ease analysis by computer. For the first time, judgments are published under a clear copyright licence permitting such use.’
Law Society's Gazette, 19th April 2022
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The human rights group Liberty is threatening to sue the government and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over the bitterly contested law of joint enterprise, arguing that it is discredited and racist in the way the authorities pursue it.’
The Guardian, 7th April 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) today unexpectedly published its response to part 2 of the whiplash consultation which closed in January 2017, with no proposals for any immediate reform.’
Legal Futures, 22nd March 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The United Kingdom might soon have its first bill of rights since the English Bill of Rights of 1688. On 14 December last year, the government published the much anticipated Independent Human Rights Act Review (IHRAR), which sets out the conclusions of a ten-month inquiry by an independent panel of experts into the operation of the Human Rights Act 1998. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice issued a consultation document, “Human Rights Act Reform: A Modern Bill of Rights”, the proposals of which bear no resemblance to the recommendations of the IHRAR (the consultation period ended on 8 March). Influenced, it seems, by Dominic Raab’s appointment as secretary of state for justice in the September reshuffle, the Ministry of Justice consultation document sets out a proposal that it describes, accurately, as “far-reaching”. By my count, 21 of the 29 questions it poses are not considered in the IHRAR. The whole document is founded on the decision to “replace” the Human Rights Act with a bill of rights, something not considered by the IHRAR panel (which noted in passing that it detected no depth of support for one).’
London Review of Books, 24th March 2022
Source: www.lrb.co.uk
‘Three girls have been held in an all-boys prison for at least eight months owing to “appalling” and systemic failures in the prison system, MPs and campaigners have said.’
The Guardian, 23rd March 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A bid to move the killer of Joanne Tulip to an open prison has been blocked by Dominic Raab.’
BBC News, 19th March 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Addressing the extraterritorial application of the ECHR has emerged as one of the priorities in the UK Government’s pursuit of ‘updating’ human rights law. In recent months, the outline of an ostensible solution to the challenge posed by extraterritorial obligations has taken shape. In December, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab stated the issue was one the Government would “seek to address with partners in Strasbourg”. The Independent Human Rights Act Review (IHRAR) took a similar approach, suggesting a settlement at the Council of Europe, augmented by judicial dialogue. Simultaneously the Ministry of Justice consultation on replacing the HRA with a Bill of Rights sought input on how best to take the issue forward for a state-based solution. At the end of February Robert Buckland, the former Justice Secretary, gave a lecture where he called upon the government to take the issue to Strasbourg for a new protocol.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 16th March 2022
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘Criminal legal aid lawyers are set for the biggest pay boost in a decade under wide-ranging reforms proposed by the government today.’
Ministry of Justice, 15th March 2022
Source: www.gov.uk
‘MPs today slated the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) “meagre ambition” to reduce the Crown Court case backlog and warned that efforts to recruit judges will ignore the need to improve diversity.’
Legal Futures, 9th March 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The vast majority of vulnerable young women and girls in the criminal justice system in England and Wales have previously suffered abuse and violence and are in danger of being retraumatised by the experience, charities say.’
The Guardian, 4th March 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Disability and human rights groups have called for a consultation on controversial human rights reforms to be extended, telling the lord chancellor that disabled people have been given less than a fortnight to respond. The Ministry of Justice has apologised for the long wait for a ‘fully accessible’ document.’
Law Society's Gazette, 2nd March 2022
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Dominic Raab has announced the creation of 4,000 new prison places in England and Wales, as the government plans for an increase of almost 25% that could take the prison population to an all-time high.’
The Guardian, 18th February 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The parents of a schoolgirl who has accused a stranger of rape have been told by police that there is not enough space in a Nightingale court for them to attend the alleged attacker’s trial.’
The Guardian, 13th February 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A coalition of women’s rights organisations has called on the UK government to abolish a law that gives courts the power to send people to prison for their own protection, as part of a 10-point plan to tackle inequalities in the criminal justice system.’
The Guardian, 31st January 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The government has been urged to change its “harmful and dangerous” prison system after the number of deaths among inmates hit record levels.’
The Independent, 28th January 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
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