Category: reports

Does the Human Rights Act prevent us deporting serious criminals? – Free Movement

Posted May 26th, 2015 in deportation, human rights, immigration, news, reports, statistics, treaties by sally

‘It is very widely believed that the Human Rights Act stops the UK from deporting foreign criminals whence they came. To a limited extent, there is some truth in this. Some appeals against deportation decisions do succeed on human rights grounds. Not many, though, and none succeed because of the Human Rights Act as distinct from the European Convention on Human Rights. Other appeals against deportation succeed under EU law or the Refugee Convention.’

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Free Movement, 26th May 2015

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Victims of disability hate crime are still being let down, report claims – The Guardian

Posted May 21st, 2015 in crime, Crown Prosecution Service, disabled persons, harassment, hate crime, news, police, probation, reports by sally

‘Victims of disability hate crimes are being failed by police, prosecutors and the probation service, according to a report by inspectors.’

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The Guardian, 21st May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Body-in-boot killer Aaron Mann ‘quit mental health treatment’ – BBC News

Posted May 14th, 2015 in domestic violence, mental health, murder, news, reports by sally

‘A man who kept his partner’s body in a car boot after killing her had ended mental health treatment days before, a review revealed.’

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BBC News, 15th May 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

CCMS: a ‘flawed’ system that ‘actually deteriorates business processes’ – Legal Voice

Posted May 12th, 2015 in computer programs, legal aid, news, pilot schemes, reports by sally

‘Specialist cost lawyers involved in pilots for the controversial new online legal aid processing system have called on the Ministry of Justice to make an “honest appraisal” before pushing ahead with implementation.’

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Legal Voice, 11th May 2015

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Wellbeing at the Bar report – The Bar Council

Posted May 12th, 2015 in barristers, mental health, reports by sally

‘The Wellbeing at the Bar Programme was developed to look in greater detail at the unique aspects of a barristers’ working environment and how this impacts on psychological health and wellbeing.’

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The Bar Council, 11th May 2015

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Jimmy Savile: Publication into TV presenter’s abuse over decades at BBC postponed – The Independent

Posted May 5th, 2015 in BBC, delay, news, police, reports by sally

‘Publication of Dame Janet Smith’s report into how Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall carried out campaigns of abuse over decades at the BBC has been postponed at the request of the Metropolitan Police.’
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The Independent, 1st May 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK housing crisis ‘in breach of human rights’ – The Guardian

Posted April 28th, 2015 in charities, housing, human rights, news, rent, reports by sally

‘The UK is in breach of its own United Nations human rights commitment to provide people with adequate homes because the housing crisis is so serious, a consortium of leading housing charities has warned. They cite soaring housing rental costs, unhealthy conditions in homes, and rising levels of homelessness and warn of “profound issues of lack of supply, increasing housing costs, lack of security of tenure and homes of such poor quality that they are unfit for habitation”.’

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The Guardian, 28th April 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Chilcot inquiry into Iraq War ‘unlikely to be published this year’ – The Independent

Posted April 21st, 2015 in delay, inquiries, Iraq, news, publishing, reports by sally

‘The British inquiry into the 2003 Iraq war and its aftermath, which completed its last hearing in February 2011 with the promise to report back in “some months”, is unlikely to be published this year.’

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The Independent, 21st April 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The cab-rank rule – are its days numbered? – Legal Futures

Posted April 16th, 2015 in barristers, consultations, news, reports by sally

‘‘The cab-rank rule is dead, long live the cab-rank principle’, or words to that effect, may be heard before too long..’

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Legal Futures, 16th April 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Child pornography cases double as paedophiles pursue vile profit from abuse – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 14th, 2015 in children, indecent photographs of children, internet, news, pornography, reports by sally

‘Internet Watch Foundation report warns of increasing commercialisation of online child abuse images, with some even being traded for the digital ‘bitcoin’ currency ‘

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Daily Telegraph, 14th April 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The Rivlin Report – the Bar talking to itself? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted April 7th, 2015 in barristers, case management, fees, guilty pleas, legal education, news, reports, trials by sally

‘The last of the three “state of the Bar” reports, the “Criminal Justice, Advocacy and the Bar” Report by the Criminal Justice Reform Group (generally known as the Rivlin Report) was released shortly before Easter. Unlike Leveson and Jeffrey’s, the MoJ did not commit to consider this report before deciding on the future of legal aid provision. As this was a report commissioned by the Bar Council (the report itself acknowledges “we should stress that the substance of this Report, and the recommendations which accompany it, are independent and made on behalf of the Bar”), this may not have been a bad call by the MoJ.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 7th April 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Warning over Islamic radicalisation in England’s prisons

Posted April 7th, 2015 in gangs, Islam, news, prisons, reports, terrorism by sally

‘Staff shortages are making it harder to tackle Islamic radicalisation in England’s prisons, the former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office has warned.’

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BBC News, 7th April 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Streamlined forensic reporting – Park Square Barristers

Posted April 2nd, 2015 in evidence, forensic science, news, reports by sally

‘With ever-increasing cutbacks to our legal system, it’s of little surprise that the expensive area of forensic science has been targeted for cost reduction. As such, the introduction of streamlined forensic reporting (SFR) tries to introduce a more cost-effective response to the discovery of forensic material which might link a person to a crime scene.’

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Park Square Barristers, 26th March 2015

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

McKenzie friends could drive ‘bulldozer’ through Legal Services Act – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 2nd, 2015 in criminal justice, fees, legal services, McKenzie friends, news, reports by sally

‘Giving McKenzie friends permission to speak in court would drive a bulldozer through the Legal Services Act, which was intended to regulate reserved activities, criminal barristers have said.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 1st April 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Criminal Justice, Advocacy and the Bar – The Bar Council

Posted March 31st, 2015 in barristers, criminal justice, news, reports by sally

‘A new report by His Honour Geoffrey Rivlin QC, chair of the Criminal Justice Reform Group, commissioned by the Bar Council, sets out key recommendations for sustaining the criminal justice system in England & Wales.’

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The Bar Council, 31st March 2015

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

FCA focus on personal accountability driving increase in financial firm whistleblowing, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 31st, 2015 in financial regulation, news, reports, whistleblowers by sally

‘A significant increase in the number of whistleblowing cases opened by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) over the course of the last year shows that the regulator’s increased focus on personal accountability is changing employee behaviour in the financial services industry, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 30th March 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Legal services to be “future boom area” as councils become entrepreneurial: report

Posted March 31st, 2015 in legal services, local government, news, reports by sally

‘Legal services look likely to be a “future boom area” for local authorities as they seek to operate more entrepreneurially, a think tank has claimed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 30th March 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Save Legal Aid, Save Lives – Family Law Week

Posted March 26th, 2015 in domestic violence, evidence, legal aid, news, reports, select committees by sally

‘Ruth Tweedale, a law lecturer at the University of Roehampton and former solicitor at Rights of Women, describes recent developments in the campaign to preserve family law legal aid for victims of domestic violence.’

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Family Law Week, 24th March 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Too little progress on stop and search, says police watchdog – The Guardian

Posted March 26th, 2015 in news, police, race discrimination, reports, stop and search by sally

‘Police forces have made too little progress on improving their use of stop and search powers, with too many officers lacking any understanding of their impact on the lives of young black people, an official watchdog has said.’

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The Guardian, 24th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Support for death penalty drops below 50% for the first time – BBC News

Posted March 26th, 2015 in death penalty, news, reports, statistics by sally

‘Support for the death penalty in Britain has dropped below 50% for the first time on record, an annual opinion survey says.’

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BBC News, 26th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk