One third of convicted sex offenders across England and Wales avoid prison – The Guardian

‘Ministers are facing demands to explain why thousands of convicted sexual offenders across England and Wales have avoided prison. An Observer investigation found that adults convicted of sexually assaulting children under 13, or of engaging in sexual activity with underage teenagers, are among those who have not been jailed.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 19th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Binding arbitration to settle Covid commercial rent disputes – Litigation Futures

‘The government is to introduce mandatory, binding arbitration to settle disputes between landlords and businesses struggling to pay their rent because of the pandemic.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 17th June 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Ministers remove children from private youth jail after American contractor fails to fix ‘serious’ flaws – The Independent

Posted June 18th, 2021 in children, detention, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, young offenders by tracey

‘The UK government is removing all children from a troubled jail for youths run by an American company after some were locked in their rooms for more than 23 hours a day.’

Full Story

The Independent, 17th June 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland ‘sorry’ for failing rape victims – BBC News

‘Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has apologised to rape victims for low conviction rates in England and Wales and promised to “do a lot better”.’

Full Story

BBC News 18th June 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Boost for open justice as court judgments get new home – Ministry of Justice

Posted June 16th, 2021 in judgments, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Important court and tribunal judgments will be available via The National Archives for the first time, increasing transparency and securing free access for all.’

Full Story

Ministry of Justice, 16th June 2021

Source: www.gov.uk

Lord Chancellor unveils court staff pay deal and review of his role – Legal Futures

‘The Treasury has agreed a three-year pay deal for court staff after negotiations with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the Lord Chancellor has announced.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 9th June 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Judicial review applications fell 16% in 2020: report – Local Government Lawyer

‘The number of applications for judicial review fell 16% in 2020 to 2,800, data from National Statistics has revealed.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 8th June 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Lord Chancellor outlines his plans to recover the justice system from COVID-19 – Ministry of Justice

‘The Lord Chancellor spoke at the Law Society to thank the hidden heroes who kept justice moving during the COVID-19 pandemic and outlined his plans for recovering the system, as well as propelling it towards a better future.’

Full speech

Ministry of Justice, 4th June 2021

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Rape cases in England and Wales will be hit hard by backlog, says police chief – The Guardian

‘Rape and domestic violence cases in England and Wales will be among the worst hit from the growing backlog in the judicial system, and trials could soon start collapsing because of severe delays, the new crime commissioner for England’s second biggest force has warned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 6th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

£200 million investment in rehab services to cut crime – Ministry of Justice

‘Charities and companies which help rehabilitate offenders have been awarded around £200 million of Government funding to help cut crime in the new probation system.’

Ministry of Justice, 21st May 2021

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Rape victims in England and Wales to give video evidence to boost convictions – The Guardian

‘Rape victims in England and Wales will be able to provide their evidence on video prior to a trial to help improve conviction rates, it is understood.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 17th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Buckland wants “most accessible justice system in the world” – Litigation Futures

Posted May 17th, 2021 in dispute resolution, jurisdiction, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland declared yesterday that he aims to deliver a justice system across the UK “that is more accessible than any other jurisdiction on this planet”.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 14th May 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Buckland urged to retain choice for court-assessed legal aid bills – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 14th, 2021 in consultations, costs, Law Society, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘The Ministry of Justice has been urged not to bring court-assessed civil legal aid bills in-house amid impartiality and transparency concerns as well as the impact on an already-dwindling supplier base.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 13th May 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Government considers plans to create national hub for court judgments – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 10th, 2021 in artificial intelligence, courts, judgments, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘Plans to create the first single comprehensive repository of England and Wales court judgments are being considered by the government, the Gazette understands. Such a service, run by the National Archives, would publish almost every decision made by courts and tribunals, unlike the current selective system run by the British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII).’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 10th May 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Longer jail terms and stricter monitoring as new terror laws gain Royal Assent – Ministry of Justice

‘The biggest shake-up of terrorist sentencing and monitoring in decades has been granted Royal Assent today (29 April 2021) – giving the courts, police and security services greater powers to protect the public.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 29th April 2021

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Joanna Bell: Digging for Information about Cart JRs – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted April 1st, 2021 in judicial review, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics, tribunals by tracey

‘Anyone who has ever tried to study judicial review in England and Wales empirically knows it is a little like digging for gold without a metal detector: it is difficult to know where to dig and there is also no guarantee that you will find what you are looking for.’

Full Story

UK Constitutional Law Association, 1st April 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Crown court backlog has reached ‘crisis levels’, report warns – The Guardian

‘The backlog of crown court cases in England and Wales has reached “crisis levels”, with the increased remand population likely to disproportionately impact children and young people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, a parliamentary committee has warned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 30th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

£1 million voucher scheme to help families resolve disputes outside of court – Ministry of Justice

Posted March 29th, 2021 in budgets, dispute resolution, families, family courts, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘Separating parents will be helped to avoid stressful court battles through a new million-pound mediation scheme launched by the government today.’

Full Story

Ministry of Justice, 26th March 2021

Source: www.gov.uk

Public Accounts Committee warns of “huge backlogs” in courts, justice system under “unprecedented pressure” – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Ministry of Justice “faces significant risks across the full range of its services, without a clear sense of prioritisation” and huge backlogs that have built up are causing “unacceptably long waiting times for people to access justice”, the Public Accounts Committee has said.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 24th March 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Ministry of Justice to consult on judicial review reforms including power to suspend quashing orders, removal of ‘Cart judgments’, and procedural changes – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Ministry of Justice has launched a consultation on giving the courts the power to suspend quashing orders, removing so-called “Cart judgments”, and introducing a series of changes to civil procedure rules, following recommendations by the Independent Review of Administrative Law (IRAL) led by Lord Faulks QC.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 19th March 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk