MoJ favours ‘Nightingale’ crown courts to tackle huge backlog of cases – Thomas More Chambers

‘So reports Owen Bowcott, the legal affairs correspondent for The Guardian today. “Nightingale” courts being venues which have been identified as suitable for trials utilising public spaces such a civic centres or university moot halls; apparently to be renamed Blackstone Courts.’

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Thomas More Chambers, 3rd July 2020

Source: www.thomasmore.co.uk

Thousands of high-risk offenders in UK ‘freed into homelessness’ – The Guardian

‘Thousands of high-risk convicted criminals, including those classed as violent and sexual offenders, were being released from prison in England into homelessness, increasing the likelihood of their reoffending, inspectors warned.’

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The Guardian, 8th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lord chancellor seeks views on post-Brexit court powers – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 6th, 2020 in brexit, courts, EC law, lord chancellor, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice is seeking lawyers’ views on which British courts should have the power to depart from retained EU case law after the Brexit transition period ends.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 2nd July 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New video platform to be rolled out across civil courts – Litigation Futures

‘The new video platform enabling more remote cases to be heard in the criminal courts will rolled out to the civil courts over the coming months, the Ministry of Justice confirmed yesterday.’

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Litigation Futures, 2nd July 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

MoJ favours ‘Nightingale’ crown courts to tackle huge backlog of cases – The Guardian

Posted July 2nd, 2020 in coronavirus, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘Plans for non-jury trials to speed up efforts to tackle a backlog of more than 40,000 crown court cases appear to have been sidelined as the Ministry of Justice opts instead for extended opening hours, emergency “Nightingale” courts and, possibly, smaller juries.’

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The Guardian, 2nd July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coronavirus recovery in Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service – Ministry of Justice

‘The Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland has today (1 July 2020) outlined a ‘renewal for justice’ as courts harness increased investment, improved technology and a range of emergency measures to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 1st July 2020

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

Pain-inducing restraint in child custody must be exception – MoJ review – The Guardian

‘Pain-inducing restraint techniques should only be used on children in custody as an “absolute exception” to save life or prevent serious harm, a long-awaited review has concluded, though it has stopped short of calling for an outright ban.’

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The Guardian, 19th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

EHRC urges compulsory disability training for lawyers – Legal Futures

‘Disability awareness should be a professional requirement, and a mandatory element of criminal lawyers’ CPD, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has recommended.’

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Legal Futures, 15th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Private firms to lose role in probation services – BBC News

Posted June 15th, 2020 in contracting out, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, probation by sally

‘The government has scrapped plans to let private firms run behaviour programmes and unpaid work schemes for offenders in England and Wales.’

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BBC News, 11th June 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Probation services to return to public control after Grayling disasters – The Guardian

Posted June 12th, 2020 in contracting out, Ministry of Justice, news, police, probation by sally

‘Probation services in England and Wales will be fully restored to public ownership and control, the justice secretary has announced, marking the final nail in the coffin of Chris Grayling’s disastrous privatisation changes.’

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The Guardian, 11th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Justice Secretary seeks to block decision to release rapist serving life sentence – Daily Telegraph

‘The Justice Secretary is seeking to block the decision to release a rapist serving a life sentence from prison, after the victim’s family only learned of the plans through a journalist.’

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Daily Telegraph, 5th June 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Record court delays for civil litigants – Litigation Futures

‘The time litigants have to wait to reach trial in civil claims reached record lengths even before the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic hit, new government figures have revealed.’

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Litigation Futures, 4th June 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Prison release schemes almost impossible to deliver, says watchdog – The Guardian

‘Prisoners in England and Wales have been left confused by high-profile government announcements that led them to believe thousands of inmates would be temporarily released to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus behind bars, a prison deaths watchdog has said.’

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The Guardian, 31st May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coronavirus: Courts must resume to deal with ‘backlog of cases’ – BBC News

‘Victims are being left in “distressing limbo” due to a growing backlog of cases during the coronavirus pandemic, a top Cardiff barrister has warned.’

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BBC News, 3rd May 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Make bedside oral wills legal during pandemic, UK campaigners urge – The Guardian

‘Oral wills should be made legal during the coronavirus pandemic in the same way that they are permitted in times of war, say campaigners.’

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The Guardian, 2nd May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

New video technology to conduct remote criminal hearings – Law Society’s Gazette

‘New video equipment is being introduced to over 100 courts as the government increasingly turns to technology to conduct hearings remotely and keep the justice system running during the Covid-19 pandemic.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 1st May 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

UK prison officers punching compliant inmates, report says – The Guardian

‘Prison officers are allegedly punching compliant inmates who they suspect might misbehave in the future in a practice known as “preventive strikes”, a European human rights watchdog has said in a damning report on the state of jails in England.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 30th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Publication and correction of judgments – official and unofficial sources – Transparency Project

Posted April 29th, 2020 in courts, internet, judgments, judiciary, Ministry of Justice, news, tribunals by sally

‘Who is responsible for publishing the official approved version of judgments of the courts? Where should we look to find the latest, in some cases corrected, version of a court judgment? These are not new questions, but the sudden swerve to virtual justice has thrown them into new focus.’

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Transparency Project, 29th April 2020

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

MoJ offers some financial support for legal aid firms – Legal Futures

‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has introduced economic help for legal aid firms, making hardship payments easier to access and pausing debt repayments to the Legal Aid Agency (LAA).’

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Legal Futures, 3rd April 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lord Chancellor praises lawyers’ “heroic” efforts – Legal Futures

‘The Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland yesterday praised lawyers for their “heroic efforts” in trying to keep trials going during the coronavirus pandemic.’

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Legal Futures, 25th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk