Justice secretary told to ‘get a grip’ on backlog of prisoners held beyond sentence – The Guardian

‘The chair of the Parole Board has expressed his frustration at the government’s failure to “get a grip” on the issue of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences under the discredited imprisonment for public protection (IPP) programme.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 14th August 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Increase in serious crimes by offenders on probation, figures show – The Guardian

‘There has been an increase in serious crimes committed by offenders under supervision in the community since the controversial privatisation of the probation service, figures suggest. The number of offenders on probation charged with murder, manslaughter, rape and other serious violent or sexual crimes has risen by more than 25% since changes to the service in England and Wales.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 2nd August 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ministers ‘undermined law’ over Iraq war crimes allegations – The Guardian

‘The government has been accused of undermining the rule of law by putting pressure on an independent regulator in its action against a legal firm pursuing claims of human rights abuses involving British troops in Iraq.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 22nd July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Probation reform: open letter from the Secretary of State for Justice – Ministry of Justice

Posted July 20th, 2017 in Ministry of Justice, news, press releases, probation, recidivists by sally

‘Justice Secretary David Lidington provides an update on the probation system.’

Full Story

Ministry of Justice, 19th July 2017

Source: www.gov.uk

‘Soft sentence’ correction scheme extended to terror offences – Ministry of Justice

’19 terror-related offences will be added to Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme to keep families and communities safe.’

Full Story

Ministry of Justice, 15th July 2017

Source: www.gov.uk

Disclosure of judge’s handwritten notes – the ICO speaks – Panopticon

Posted July 12th, 2017 in data protection, disclosure, judges, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Some of you may have read in last week’s Guardian of an ICO ruling which resulted in the Ministry of Justice handing over a judge’s handwritten notes under data protection legislation (if not, see the article here). If you did read the article, it may be that you are now scratching your head trying to work out why and how the notes came to be disclosed. Well you need scratch no longer – here is the ICO decision letter (for which thanks to Mrs Percival).’

Full Story

Panopticon, 11th July 2017

Source: panopticonblog.com

New criminal tagging system scaled back after ministry failings – The Guardian

Posted July 12th, 2017 in electronic monitoring, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘A new tagging system to monitor criminals has been dramatically scaled back and is running at least five years behind schedule after a series of expensive failings by the Ministry of Justice, the government’s spending watchdog has found.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 12th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lord Chancellor swearing-in speech: David Lidington – Ministry of Justice

Posted June 21st, 2017 in lord chancellor, Ministry of Justice, news, parliament, speeches by sally

‘Full text of the speech given by the Rt Hon David Lidington at his Lord Chancellor swearing-in ceremony in June 2017.’

Full Story

Ministry of Justice, 19th June 2017

Source: www.gov.uk

Privatised probation programme ‘could be dropped with negligible impact’ – The Guardian

‘A key part of the government’s probation privatisation reforms could be dropped tomorrow without any impact on the resettlement of prisoners, a joint report by the chief inspectors of probation and prisons has warned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 21st June 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Families of men who killed themselves at Woodhill jail lose high court case – The Guardian

Posted May 24th, 2017 in human rights, judicial review, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, suicide by sally

‘The relatives of two inmates who killed themselves at a prison with the highest rate of self-inflicted deaths in England and Wales have lost a high court case calling for action to protect prisoners.’

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd May 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lionel Cohen Lecture by the Lord Chief Justice: The judiciary within the state – governance and cohesion of the judiciary – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Lionel Cohen Lecture by the Lord Chief Justice: The judiciary within the state – governance and cohesion of the judiciary.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 22nd May 2017

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

New fast-track immigration appeal rules proposed – Ministry of Justice

‘A new fast-track system to speed up immigration and asylum appeals for those in detention has been drawn up.’

Full press

Ministry of Justice, 18th April 2017

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

Justice Secretary Liz Truss ‘could be stripped of Lord Chancellor role’ after series of mishaps – The Independent

‘Cabinet ministers are reportedly urging Theresa May to sack Liz Truss from her role as Lord Chancellor after a series of embarrassing mistakes.’

Full story

The Independent, 6th April 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Extremism in prisons to be tackled by specialist task force – BBC News

‘A specialist team of counter-terrorism experts aimed at tackling extremism in prisons is being launched on Monday.’

Full story

BBC News, 2nd April 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Private companies could pull out of probation contracts over costs – The Guardian

‘Two of the private companies that provide 50% of probation services in England and Wales have confirmed to MPs they will have to consider quitting if a Ministry of Justice review fails to deliver improvements.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st March 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Four ‘supersized’ prisons to be built in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted March 22nd, 2017 in Ministry of Justice, news, prisons by sally

‘The justice secretary is to announce plans to build four new “supersized” jails in England and Wales, creating a total of 5,000 modern prison places.’

Full story

The Guardian, 22nd March 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

News focus: ‘Virtual justice’ and the IT panacea – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Just over six years ago, a taxpayer funded independent study of a pilot “virtual court” concluded that: “A rollout based on the pilot’s performance and parameters is likely to cost more money than it saves. A break-even scenario may be achieved, but this is still likely to be a challenge.” ‘

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 20th March 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Greater protection for rape victims and children at risk of grooming – Ministry of Justice

‘New offence of sexual communication with a child will be introduced, and measures to support victims of sex crimes accelerated.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 19th March 2017

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

Legal problem and resolution survey 2014 to 2015 – Ministry of Justice

‘These reports present the findings from the Legal Problem and Resolution Survey 2014 to 2015, a telephone survey of 10,058 adults in England and Wales.’

Full reports

Ministry of Justice, 3rd march 2017

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

MPs raise concerns over tougher knife crime guidelines’ impact on prison populations – The Independent

‘MPs have raised concerns over tougher knife crime sentencing guidelines due to the “substantial” impact it could have on the escalating prison population in Britain.’

Full story

The Independent, 8th March 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk