Sentences for violent and sexual crimes fall sharply in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Average sentence lengths for violent and sexual offences in England and Wales fell steeply last year as the Covid pandemic also led to a huge slowdown in the number of people dealt with by the criminal justice system.’

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The Guardian, 19th August 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Mental health crisis ends in cells for too many, snapshot suggests – BBC News

Posted August 20th, 2021 in custody, detention, hospitals, mental health, news, police, statistics by sally

‘Up to 4,500 people in mental health crisis were unlawfully held in police custody in England and Wales in a year, previously unpublished data suggests.’

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BBC News, 20th August 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Does The Legal Definition Of Rape Need Updating? – Each Other

‘The current legal definition of rape means that victims of sexual assault without penile penetration cannot technically claim the word, feeding the stigma felt by some survivors.’

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Each Other, 17th August 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Leeds prison punished inmates by restricting showers, report finds – The Guardian

‘Prisoners were unlawfully prevented from showering daily as punishment for poor behaviour, with shielding and self-isolating inmates also unable to do so, according to a damning report.’

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The Guardian, 12th August 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

500,000 EU citizens left ‘in limbo’ awaiting decision over right to stay in UK – The Independent

Posted August 13th, 2021 in brexit, delay, government departments, immigration, news, statistics, visas by tracey

‘More than half a million European citizens living in the UK are still awaiting a decision over their status six weeks on from the June deadline for the settlement scheme.’

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The Independent, 12th August 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Black lawyers most likely to say racial injustice has held back careers – Legal Futures

Posted August 10th, 2021 in legal profession, minorities, news, race discrimination, statistics by sally

‘Black lawyers are much more likely than Asian colleagues to say that racial injustice has held them back in their careers, a survey has found.’

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Legal Futures, 10th August 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Menopause at centre of increasing number of UK employment tribunals – The Guardian

‘Growing numbers of women are taking their employers to court citing the menopause as proof of unfair dismissal and direct sex discrimination, researchers have said.’

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The Guardian, 7th August 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Wrong bodies released by NHS mortuaries dozens of times – The Independent

Posted August 9th, 2021 in bereavement, families, hospitals, news, statistics by tracey

‘There have been more than 530 serious incidents where NHS trusts have released the wrong body to families or lost, damaged or kept the organs or bodies of babies without family permission, new figures reveal.’

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The Independent, 8th August 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Bradford agencies still missing ‘clear signs’ of child sexual abuse – The Guardian

‘Vulnerable children remain at risk of being failed by child protection agencies in Bradford despite multiple reviews of sexual exploitation cases, an independent report has found.’

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The Guardian, 27th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Retention improving at the Bar as average age of barristers rises – Legal Futures

Posted July 28th, 2021 in barristers, diversity, news, statistics by sally

‘The proportion of barristers aged over 50 has tripled over the past 30 years, while the number of pupils has shrunk by almost 30%, research by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has found.’

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Legal Futures, 28th July 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Hundreds of children abused while in care of Lambeth council, inquiry finds – The Guardian

‘Hundreds of vulnerable children in the care of Lambeth council in south London were subjected to horrendous cruelty and sexual abuse over several decades on a scale that was “hard to comprehend”, an independent inquiry report has found.’

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The Guardian, 27th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

More needs to be done to ensure remote hearings are fair and work smoothly, say family professionals – Local Government Lawyer

‘Nearly two thirds of professionals responding to the latest Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO) rapid consultation feel that more needs to be done to ensure that remote hearings are fair and work smoothly.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Technology and innovation “step-change” in last year but barriers persist – Legal Futures

‘The past year has seen a “step change” in the adoption of legal technology and innovation, in part as a result of Covid-19, a major piece of new research has found.’

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Legal Futures, 27th July 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Fifty-two prisoners in close supervision units ‘that may amount to torture’ – The Guardian

‘Fifty-two people are being held in prison units in England and Wales in conditions that a UN human rights expert has said may amount to torture, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 26th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Should We Have The Right To Housing? – Each Other

Posted July 27th, 2021 in coronavirus, housing, human rights, landlord & tenant, news, statistics by sally

‘In our new Visions of Human Rights series – we look at issues and social concerns that we currently don’t have the right to – but ones that charities and activists are asking to be reconsidered. During the pandemic, the spaces we have been confined to or unable to move from were under the spotlight like never before. Today Hannah Shewan Stevens looks at whether we should have the right to housing.’

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Each Other, 26th July 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Discrimination the “sole cause” of paucity of Black QCs – Legal Futures

‘Discrimination is the “sole identifiable cause” for the paucity of Black barristers, particularly at QC level, a co-chair of the Bar Council’s race working group has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 26th July 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

More than 50 died in Home Office asylum seeker accommodation in past five years – The Guardian

‘More than 50 people have died in Home Office asylum seeker accommodation in the last five years, with the number increasing steeply over the past 18 months, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 25th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

More than 250 convicted of child sexual abuse in UK and Ireland while in Scout movement – The Guardian

‘More than 250 people in the UK and Ireland have been convicted of child sexual abuse offences committed while they were Scout leaders or in other positions of responsibility within the Scout movement since the 1950s, according to analysis that raises questions about the organisation’s safeguarding procedures.’

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The Guardian, 25th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Female military staff denied justice by inadequate system – MPs – BBC News

‘Women in the armed forces who are victims of bullying, harassment, discrimination and serious sexual assault are being “denied justice” by a “woefully inadequate” military complaints process, MPs have said.’

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BBC News, 26th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Disproportionate targeting of Jamaicans for deportation from UK, data suggests – The Guardian

‘People from Caribbean countries such as Jamaica appear to be disproportionately targeted for deportation from the UK if they commit crimes, according to Home Office data obtained by the Guardian following a yearlong freedom of information battle.’

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The Guardian, 25th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com