Coronavirus: Ten ‘Nightingale Courts’ in England and Wales to open – BBC News
‘Ten temporary courts are being set up to help clear a backlog of hearings caused by the coronavirus pandemic.’
BBC News, 19th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: Ministry of Justice
G4S fined £44m by Serious Fraud Office over electronic tagging – The Guardian
‘Security firm G4S has been fined £44m by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) as part of an agreement that will see it avoid prosecution for overcharging the Ministry of Justice for the electronic tagging of offenders, some of whom had died.’
The Guardian, 10th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
The end of the jury trial as we know it? – 6KBW College Hill
‘The Secretary of State for Justice recently confirmed that the government is considering whether to introduce primary legislation to suspend jury trials for offences triable either way as a way to address the backlog of criminal cases arising from the public health crisis. This development has caused alarm amongst practitioners who might be hoping that Humphreys J was right when he said: “I cannot bring myself to believe that there are any persons other than the inmates of a lunatic asylum who would vote in favour of the abolition of trial by jury in serious criminal cases” (Do We Need a Jury? [1954] Crim LR 457).’
6 KBW College Hill, 30th June 2020
Source: blog.6kbw.com
High Court could get power to depart from EU case law – Litigation Futures
‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is considering whether to allow the High Court as well as the Court of Appeal to depart from European Union case law from next year.’
Litigation Futures, 9th July 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
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.’
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.’
The Guardian, 8th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Lord chancellor seeks views on post-Brexit court powers – Law Society’s Gazette
‘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.’
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.’
Litigation Futures, 2nd July 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
MoJ favours ‘Nightingale’ crown courts to tackle huge backlog of cases – The Guardian
‘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.’
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.’
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.’
The Guardian, 19th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Private firms to lose role in probation services – BBC News
‘The government has scrapped plans to let private firms run behaviour programmes and unpaid work schemes for offenders in England and Wales.’
BBC News, 11th June 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Probation services to return to public control after Grayling disasters – The Guardian
‘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.’
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.’
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.’
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.’
The Guardian, 31st May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
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.’
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.’
Law Society's Gazette, 1st May 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
