MoJ refused to repay living costs to wrongly convicted partly to save money – The Guardian

‘A controversial decision to refuse refunds to wrongly convicted prisoners who were charged for bed and board while in jail was made in part to save money, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 21st August 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

England prison overcrowding emergency measures come into force – The Guardian

‘Ministers have activated emergency measures to ease prison overcrowding as more rioters are sentenced for their role in the recent unrest.’

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The Guardian, 19th August 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Repossession claims in England and Wales at highest in five years – The Guardianship

‘The number of claims made by banks and landlords to repossess homes in England and Wales has reached the highest level in five years as households struggle with higher borrowing costs.’

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The Guardian, 8th August 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

No refunds in historic miscarriage of justice cases – BBC News

‘Victims of historic miscarriages of justice have been told by the government they must have “bed and board” costs for the time they spent in prison deducted from their compensation payments.’

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BBC News, 9th August 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Man still in jail 20 years after laptop robbery – BBC News

‘A prisoner who has served almost five times his original sentence for a laptop robbery still has no prospect of being released.’

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BBC News, 3rd August 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Number of prisoners released into homelessness rises by a third in a year, despite new government scheme – The Independent

‘The number of people released from prison into homelessness has risen 30 per cent in a year despite a major new scheme to house departing offenders, The Independent can reveal.’

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The Independent, 4th August 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Challenges to deprivation of liberty orders in England soar by a third – The Guardian

‘Growing numbers of vulnerable people receiving care are challenging deprivation of liberty (Dol) orders that can mean they are locked up or kept under restrictive supervision.’

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The Guardian, 4th August 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Fears for father still in jail 19 years after laptop robbery under ‘scandalous’ IPP sentence – The Independent

Posted July 29th, 2024 in criminal justice, imprisonment, Ministry of Justice, news, sentencing by sally

‘A father trapped under an indefinite jail term for a laptop robbery almost 20 years ago still has no release date after he was recalled to prison for missing a hospital appointment.’

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The Independent, 28th July 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Violence, self-harm and drugs: Shock new figures lay bare crisis facing Britain’s prisons – The Independent

‘Violence and self-harm in Britain’s prisons is soaring while drugs are readily available with almost a quarter of jails overcrowded, grim new data has revealed.’

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The Independent, 25th July 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Probation staffing crisis laid bare in damning reports as alarm sounded over public safety – The Independent

‘A string of new probation watchdog investigations have laid bare the staffing crisis blighting the service’s ability to supervise offenders in the community and keep the public safe.’

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The Independent, 24th July 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Cut ‘unsustainable’ probation workload in England and Wales, urges watchdog – The Guardian

Posted July 22nd, 2024 in early release, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, probation, statistics by sally

‘Ministers should consider reducing the caseload of the probation service by up to 40,000 offenders if they are to ease the overcrowding crisis in prisons, a watchdog has told the Guardian.’

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The Guardian, 22nd July 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Which prisoners will be released from jail early? – BBC News

Posted July 15th, 2024 in early release, Ministry of Justice, news, police, prisons, statistics by tracey

‘The government has announced emergency measures to deal with prison overcrowding in England and Wales.’

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BBC News, 12th July 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Being a solicitor or ethnic minority halves odds of becoming a judge – Legal Futures

‘Being a solicitor or from an ethnic minority more than halves the odds of successfully applying for the bench compared to white barristers, the latest figures on judicial diversity have revealed.’

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Legal Futures, 12th July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High-profile Conservative lawyers ousted in election landslide – Law Society Gazette

‘Lord chancellor Alex Chalk has lost his Cheltenham parliamentary seat, becoming the first cabinet minister to be defeated on a dramatic general election night.’

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Law Society Gazette, 5th July 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Thousands of children “fallen victim” to record backlogs in family courts, Law Society President warns – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Law Society President, Nick Emmerson, has called on the next government to protect children “trapped” in a family court crisis due to record backlogs.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 2nd July 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Lawyers take lord chancellor to high court over legal aid fees – The Guardian

Posted June 17th, 2024 in asylum, fees, immigration, legal aid, lord chancellor, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘The lord chancellor is being taken to the high court over claims that legal aid fees are so low they are preventing lawyers from providing representation for thousands of people who are eligible for it.’

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The Guardian, 16th June 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

The struggle for justice in one English town – BBC News

‘The backlog of Crown Court cases in England and Wales is close to a record high – more than a quarter have now been open for over a year. In West Mercia, which covers a large part of the West Midlands and the counties bordering Wales, on average nearly 18 months pass between an incident occurring and a jury reaching a verdict. But many people have been waiting a lot longer for justice.’

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BBC news, 10th June 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

More trauma for rape victims as court backlog doubles in two years due to lawyer shortage – The Independent

‘Court backlogs for rape prosecutions have soared to a record high, with the number of cases doubling in two years and victims facing “devastating” waits for justice.’

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The Independent, 2nd June 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Crime and punishment: how 14 years of Tory rule have changed Britain – in charts – The Guardian

‘“Justice delayed is justice denied” goes the old legal maxim – one that has captured the state of the court system in England and Wales in recent years.’

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The Guardian, 2nd June 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government “does not understand” impact of decade-old legal aid cuts – Legal Futures

‘The government does not understand how costs may have shifted to other areas of the justice system or public sector following cuts in legal aid spending, the House of Commons public accounts committee (PAC) has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 29th May 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk