Violent prisoners to face tougher penalties in crackdown against serious assaults on prison staff – The Independent

‘Violence in jails will be met with tougher repercussions in a new crackdown against serious assaults on prison staff.’

Full story

The Independent, 16th November 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Too many prisoners jailed unnecessarily, says review head – The Guardian

‘The unnecessary jailing of too many people in England and Wales is leaving resources stretched and vulnerable inmates unsupervised, the head of a review into prison suicides has said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judge hits out at system that encourages solicitors to charge barristers referral fees – Legal Futures

‘Mr Justice Green, chairman of the Advocacy Training Council, has condemned the lack of a “level playing field” for publicly funded advocates, which is leading to the practice of “selling litigation rights”.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 13th November 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Too many inmates ‘jailed needlessly’, says review chief – BBC News

Posted November 14th, 2014 in death in custody, mental health, news, prisons, statistics, suicide by sally

‘Too many people are being jailed unnecessarily, the head of a review into prison suicides has said.Lord Harris claimed resources were being weakened, leaving vulnerable inmates unsupervised. It comes as the parents of a man who killed himself at a young offenders institution criticised authorities.’

Full story

BBC News, 14th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police cautions could be scrapped in reform of criminal punishments – The Independent

‘Police cautions could be scrapped under the Justice Secretary’s plans to stop victims feeling criminals have got away “scot-free”.’

Full story

The Independent, 1st November 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Modern slavery bill is ‘lost opportunity’, says human trafficking adviser – The Guardian

‘The government’s modern slavery bill is a “lost opportunity,” the home secretary’s former special envoy for human trafficking has warned. Anthony Steen, who advised on the legislation and chairs the Human Trafficking Foundation, said the bill, which will be debated in parliament on Tuesday for its third reading, had “yawning gaps”, and failed to focus on the needs of victims of trafficking in the UK.’

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Record number of prison deaths ‘due to cuts and overcrowding’ – The Independent

Posted October 31st, 2014 in budgets, death in custody, news, prisons, statistics, suicide by sally

‘The number of people dying in prison has risen to its highest level since records began more than 30 years ago, figures released by the Ministry of Justice show.’

Full story

The Independent, 31st October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Judicial reviews against government up 92% since 2010 – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 30th, 2014 in government departments, judicial review, news, statistics by sally

‘The number of judicial reviews involving government departments has almost doubled since 2010, the government has revealed.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 29th October 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Six out of 10 prisoners freed from short jail sentences re-offend within a year – Daily Telegraph

‘More than 17,000 prisoners released into the community after serving short jail terms went on to commit new crimes last year, official figures have shown.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 24th October 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

How to reduce your Inheritance Tax bill – BBC News

Posted October 27th, 2014 in budgets, inheritance tax, mortgages, news, statistics, taxation by sally

‘”We all want to see a system where it is only the very rich that pay inheritance tax, and not hard working people.”

Those were the words of David Cameron during Prime Minister’s Questions last week.’

Full story

BBC News, 24th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Miners’ deafness claims against government on the rise – Litigation Futures

‘Compensation payouts to miners suffering from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) are rising sharply, government figures have shown.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 20th October 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Hospital safety standards shocking, say inspectors – BBC News

Posted October 17th, 2014 in budgets, health & safety, hospitals, news, quality assurance, standards, statistics by sally

‘Safety standards in hospitals in England are “shocking”, inspectors say. The warning by the Care Quality Commission came as it released the results for the first 82 hospital inspected under a new regime. The system has been designed to be tougher and was overhauled following the Stafford Hospital scandal.’

Full story

BBC News, 16th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tasers used by police more than 10,000 times last year – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 16th, 2014 in firearms, news, police, statistics by sally

‘New figures show the controversial weapons were drawn or fired 10,488 times in England and Wales in the 12 months to the end of June.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th October 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Rapes increase by 29% as overall crime falls in England and Wales – BBC News

Posted October 16th, 2014 in crime, news, rape, statistics by sally

‘The number of rapes reported to and recorded by police in England and Wales are at their highest ever level, police figures have shown.’

Full story

BBC News, 16th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lord Neuberger on the Supreme Court: Five key cases from its first five years – The Independent

‘From euthanasia to high-speed rail, the highest in the land has an almost limitless remit.’

Full story

The Independent, 12th October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Finance & Divorce Update – Family Law Week

‘Jessica Craigs, senior solicitor of Mills & Reeve LLP analyses the financial remedies and divorce news and cases published by Family Law Week during September.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 5th October 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Child offender tagging system ‘not working’ – BBC News

‘A tagging programme for child offenders is not working and results in excessive punishment, a charity has warned.’

Full story

BBC News, 29th September 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

BSB enforcement activity producing better outcomes: time taken to investigate complaints against barristers reducing – Bar Standards Board

Posted September 22nd, 2014 in barristers, complaints, disciplinary procedures, enforcement, news, statistics by sally

‘The latest Annual Report on the performance of the Bar Standards Board (BSB)’s Professional Conduct Committee and Professional Conduct Department has been published today. The report shows that the percentage of cases being concluded or referred to disciplinary action within the agreed service standards increased from 64% in 2012/13 to 77% in 2013/14.’

Full story

Bar Standards Board, 19th September 2014

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Sexual abuse in prison needs urgent investigation, commission warns – The Guardian

Posted September 15th, 2014 in news, ombudsmen, prisons, rape, sexual offences, statistics by sally

‘Penal reformers say there is an urgent need to determine the nature and scale of sexual abuse in prisons in England and Wales in the wake of estimates that hundreds of inmates are being raped or sexually assaulted every year.’

Full story

The Guardian, 15th September 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New stalking legislation helps to bring thousands more prosecutions as CPS and ACPO launch protocol to improve service to stalking victims – Crown Prosecution Service

‘As stalking-related prosecutions rise, prosecutors and police are being reminded to focus on the devastating impact these crimes have on victims. After the first full year of operation, new stalking legislation has seen 743 cases brought to court – cases which may not have been charged under previous law.’

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 11th September 2014

Source: www.cps.gov.uk