Diversity at the Bar improved again in 2021 but women and people from ethnic minorities are still underrepresented as QCs, says BSB report – Bar Standards Board

Posted January 31st, 2022 in barristers, diversity, equality, news, queen's counsel, statistics, women by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published its annual report on Diversity at the Bar. The report shows that the profession became increasingly diverse in 2021 and that a greater proportion of barristers disclosed their demographic data.’

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Bar Standards Board, 28th January 2022

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Number of pupil barristers rebounds after Covid-related slump -Legal Futures

Posted January 28th, 2022 in barristers, coronavirus, diversity, news, pupillage, statistics, women by tracey

‘The number of pupil barristers has rebounded after the pandemic sent it crashing, while women increasingly dominate the junior end of the Bar, new figures have shown.’

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Legal Futures, 28th January 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Calls for urgent action as deaths in prisons hit record levels – The Independent

Posted January 28th, 2022 in death in custody, mental health, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, statistics, suicide by tracey

‘The government has been urged to change its “harmful and dangerous” prison system after the number of deaths among inmates hit record levels.’

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The Independent, 28th January 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Criminal prosecution delays hit record 708 days – BBC News

‘Delays in prosecuting suspected criminals have hit a record 708 days for the average time it takes to go from offence to completion of a case.’

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BBC News, 20th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Payout offers over Post Office IT scandal sent to less than third of applicants – The Guardian

‘Less than a third of Post Office workers who applied for compensation under a government scheme in the wake of the Horizon IT scandal have received a payout offer, almost 17 months after it closed, MPs have been told.’

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The Guardian, 11th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Trove of racial hatred’ exposed by investigation into online platforms – The Independent

Posted January 12th, 2022 in duty of care, hate crime, internet, news, racism, statistics by tracey

‘Tech giants have come under fresh fire after an investigation exposed hundreds of thousands of hate profiles online.’

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The Independent, 12th January 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Nationality and Borders Bill: many of the proposals will negatively affect children, not just those concerning them directly – EIN Blog

‘Hadia (22), Mubin (16), and Hasti (7) along with their mother Khazal were among the 27 people who died in the Channel in November 2021, trying to reach the UK. Other children and young people like them have attempted the dangerous crossing or have made it across the Channel, though we don’t know how many. While not the majority, children do make up a significant proportion of the asylum-seeking population. Between 2010 and 2020, 86,533 children claimed asylum in the UK, while children made up almost a quarter (23%) of UK asylum applicants and dependents during that time. Most (62,321) claimed asylum with their families, making up 17% of asylum seekers overall. The remaining 6% claimed asylum on their own as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.’

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EIN Blog, 7th January 2022

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Remote hearings: the HMCTS evaluation – Transparency Project

Posted January 5th, 2022 in consultations, coronavirus, HM Courts Service, news, remote hearings, statistics by sally

‘Last month HM Courts and Tribunals Service published their own research into user experiences of remote hearings: Evaluation of remote hearings during the COVID 19 pandemic. The report analyses responses to surveys conducted between May and October 2020 with public users of the justice system and in mid-2021 with professionals such as lawyers, judges and court staff.’

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Transparency Project, 4th January 2022

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

HMCTS: Public prefers remote hearings but professionals see declining respect – Legal Futures

Posted December 13th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, HM Courts Service, news, remote hearings, statistics, trials by tracey

‘Public users of the courts generally prefer remote to in-person hearings, but they have led to declining levels of respect, formality and concentration, according to government research.’

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Legal Futures, 13th December 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Record number of children in UK held over terror crimes – BBC News

Posted December 10th, 2021 in children, custody, news, police, statistics, terrorism, young offenders, young persons by michael

‘Twenty-five children were detained over terror crimes in the year to September – a record high, figures show.’

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BBC News, 9th December 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Rape ‘scorecards’ reveal CPS will miss prosecution targets – The Guardian

‘Rape “scorecards” published for the first time reveal that the Crown Prosecution Service will miss performance targets dictated by the government after a collapse in prosecutions for the crime.’

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The Guardian, 9th December 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Parcel firms face new rules to improve customer service – The Independent

‘The watchdog unveiled plans to impose new rules on the sector, requiring companies to treat their customers more fairly, following a damning study.’

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The Independent, 9th December 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Most rape victims in London drop complaints after speaking to police – The Guardian

Posted December 7th, 2021 in news, police, prosecutions, rape, reports, statistics, victims by sally

‘Nearly two-thirds of London rape victims who drop their complaint do so within a month of going to police, with the proportion tripling in two years, according to a report.’

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The Guardian, 7th December 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Jailed women in UK five times more likely to suffer stillbirths, data shows – The Guardian

Posted December 6th, 2021 in bail, bills, birth, imprisonment, news, pregnancy, prisons, sentencing, statistics, women by sally

‘Women in prison are five times more likely to have a stillbirth and twice as likely to give birth to a premature baby that needs special care, new data collected by the Observer shows.’

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The Guardian, December 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Complaints about barristers’ conduct soar – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Hundreds more complaints about barristers were made over the last year, the regulator has revealed, with “dramatic increases” in reports alleging inappropriate social media use. In the period April 2020 to March 2021, the Bar Standards Board received 1,887 complaints, up by 29% from 1,460 the previous year.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 1st December 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Dozens of maskless passengers hit with £200 fines after rule reinstated – The Independent

Posted December 3rd, 2021 in coronavirus, fines, news, statistics, transport by tracey

‘Dozens of maskless passengers have been fined as compulsory face coverings were reinstated.’

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The Independent, 2nd December 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Upskirting prosecutions more than double in second year since act became criminal offence – The Independent

‘Upskirting prosecutions have more than doubled in the second year since it was criminalised, with at least a third of offenders also committing other sexual crimes.’

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The Independent, 3rd December 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Remand inmates in England and Wales ‘facing second Christmas behind bars’ – The Guardian

‘Some defendants will be facing “a second Christmas behind bars without the opportunity to prove their innocence”, a legal charity has warned, as the number of remand prisoners in England and Wales detained longer than the legal custody limit continues to rise.’

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The Guardian, 1st December 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Raab eyes “drastic action” to keep family disputes out of court – Legal Futures

‘Justice secretary Dominic Raab is “in the market for something quite drastic and bold” to reduce the number of private law family cases in the courts, he said yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 1st December 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Barristers’ conduct outside of work under increasing scrutiny – Legal Futures

‘The number of reports about barristers’ conduct outside their professional lives continues to rise, the Bar Standards Board revealed yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 1st December 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk