Over 200 offenders on probation have been convicted of murder since Government shake-up five years ago – Daily Telegraph

‘More than 200 offenders under probation supervision have been convicted of murder since the system was overhauled in 2014 by the then Justice Secretary Chris Grayling.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 31st October 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

MoJ: No change to whiplash reform timetable – Legal Futures

‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is continuing to work towards April 2020 to implement the whiplash reforms despite the upcoming election, it has confirmed.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 1st November 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Separated migrant children given better access to legal aid – Ministry of Justice

Posted October 28th, 2019 in children, families, immigration, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, press releases by tracey

‘Vulnerable migrant children who have been separated from their parents will get quicker and simpler access to legal aid, after new government legislation came into force today (25 October 2019). The Legal Aid for Separated Children Order 2019 will bring non-asylum immigration and citizenship matters into the scope of legal aid for under 18s who are not in the care of a parent, guardian or legal authority.’

Full press release 

Ministry of Justice, 25th October 2019

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

Child sex abuse survivors ‘traumatised again’ by facing attackers in court buildings before hearings – The Independent

‘Survivors of childhood sexual abuse are forced to come face-to-face with their tormentors in court buildings while waiting for cases to be heard, a report has revealed.
Such shocks are among a host of failings by authorities and advisers that are regularly leaving people “at risk of being traumatised all over again” and feeling “discarded” by the justice system.’

Full Story

The Independent, 23rd October 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Sex abuse compensation rules ‘must change’ – BBC News

‘Rules that mean some victims of childhood sex abuse are denied compensation must be changed, MPs have told the Victoria Derbyshire programme.’

Full Story

BBC News, 23rd October 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Exhumation without church or MoJ approval…- Law & Religion UK

Posted October 22nd, 2019 in burials and cremation, ecclesiastical law, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘On 17 October 2019, the Daily Mail carried the snappily-titled, but detailed headline Remains of Captain Matthew Flinders – the man credited with naming Australia – will be reburied in his home village after being found in London during HS2 dig. The story concerns the remains of Captain Flinders which were discovered during the excavation of St James’s burial ground for the new High Speed rail project; the article explains:

“Following a request by descendants of the Flinders family and the local community that he be returned to his home village of Donington, Lincolnshire, HS2 Ltd’s chief executive Mark Thurston has written to the family to say he can be buried there.”

Well, not quite, for although under secular legislation, as the “nominated undertaker” under the Act, HS2 has the authority for the exhumation of Flinders’ remains and their subsequent retention, re-interment in the Donington churchyard is governed by ecclesiastical law.’

Full Story

Law & Religion UK, 19th October 2019

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

Official worried that lawyers might “abuse” reformed DBAs – Litigation Futures

‘The government needs to be sure that allowing hybrid damages-based agreements (DBAs) will not encourage abuse by lawyers, such as speculative litigation, the civil servant in charge of civil litigation reform has warned.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 18th October 2019

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Courts chief: closures weren’t based on “real travelling times” – Legal Futures

Posted October 17th, 2019 in budgets, courts, HM Courts Service, Ministry of Justice, news, transport by sally

‘Many court closures in the past have not been based on the real travelling times it would take people to get to an alternative building, the chief executive of HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has admitted.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 17th October 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Scheme giving ex-offenders a stable place to live up and running – Ministry of Justice

‘A scheme giving vulnerable ex-offenders stable accommodation to help them rebuild their lives and stay away from crime is now up and running, Prisons Minister Lucy Frazer announced today (10 October 2019).’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 10th october 2019

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

Sex offender: ‘I’ve never had so many deviant thoughts’ – BBC News

‘In 2017, the government’s flagship treatment scheme for people convicted in England and Wales of rape or child sexual abuse was scrapped after it was shown to raise the risk of reoffending. Two sex offenders have told BBC Radio 4’s File on 4 programme what it was like to take part in the rehabilitation programme.’

Full Story

BBC News, 8th October 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Majority of care cases continue to miss 26-week deadline – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The average time it takes to conclude care proceedings remains significantly high, according to latest quarterly statistics published today. Figures released by the Ministry of Justice, covering April to June, show that the average time for a care and supervision case to reach first disposal remained the same as it did for January to March – 33 weeks. This is the longest average time since the last quarter of 2013.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 26th September 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

First police force found to be ‘failing’ in all areas as watchdog finds performance worsening across country – The Independent

Posted September 27th, 2019 in budgets, crime prevention, Ministry of Justice, news, ombudsmen, police, standards, statistics by tracey

‘A scandal-hit police force has become the first to be branded “failing” in all areas after inspectors found it was not preventing crime or protecting vulnerable people.’

Full Story

The Independent, 27th September 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Barristers accuse MoJ of false economies in crown court backlogs – The Guardian

Posted September 24th, 2019 in barristers, Crown Court, delay, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘A dispute over delays to crown court trials has broken out after criminal barristers accused the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of making false economies by not reducing case backlogs.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 23rd September 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

More victims able to challenge ‘unduly lenient’ prison sentences – Ministry of Justice

‘Under plans confirmed by ministers today (17 September 2019), the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme will be extended to 14 new offences.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 17th September 2019

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

Peter Herbert becomes first judge to sue MoJ over race discrimination – The Guardian

‘A prominent judge has told an employment tribunal that race discrimination is a “significant problem” in the judiciary that it is causing “deep distress” to black and minority ethnic lawyers. Peter Herbert, the chair of the Society of Black Lawyers who sits as a crown court recorder and an immigration judge, is suing the Ministry of Justice for race discrimination after he was disciplined for a speech he gave in 2015.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 12th September 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Prisoner numbers may fall as fewer suspects charged, says MoJ – The Guardian

Posted August 30th, 2019 in Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, release on licence, sentencing, statistics by sally

‘The number of prisoners in England and Wales is projected to fall in the short term due to fewer people being charged with criminal offences.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 29th August 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Former top judge lambasts Grayling and Truss in memoir – The Guardian

‘The former lord chancellor Chris Grayling “never believed access to social justice” was important while Liz Truss was a “disaster” in the same role, according to a highly revealing memoir by one of the country’s most senior, recently retired judges.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 21st August 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Number of people dealt with by criminal justice system falls to lowest level since records began – The Independent

‘The number of people prosecuted or handed penalties for crimes in England and Wales has fallen to a record low as offences rise. Statistics released by the Ministry of Justice showed the figure dropped by 2 per cent to 1.59 million people in the year to March.’

Full Story

The Independent, 15th August 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Sentencing review to look at most dangerous and prolific offenders – Ministry of Justice

‘The work, which begins immediately, will focus on whether violent and sexual offenders are serving sentences that truly reflect the severity of their crimes. It will consider whether changes in legislation are needed to lock criminals up for longer – by not letting them out automatically part-way through a sentence. It will also look at how to break the cycle of repeat offending.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 12th August 2019

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

Children in prison twice as likely to have special needs, figures show – The Independent

‘Children in prison are twice as likely to have special educational needs as those in the general population, new figures reveal, prompting concern that vulnerable teenagers are being let down by mainstream services.’

Full Story

The Independent, 4th August 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk