Tag

The government has failed women – we need deeds not just words to turn the tide on systematic rape failures

The Rape Review didn’t come close to meeting the scale of the challenge in the criminal justice system. We need a tangible, urgent plan to address what has effectively become the decriminalisation of rape in this country.

26 May Home affairs

Covid has highlighted how our prisons are stuck in the past

Coming to terms with our overuse of imprisonment and charting a way to a lower-imprisonment future, could form part of a fitting legacy of the Covid-19 crisis.

25 May Economy

Hiring ex-offenders is good for society – and good for business too

In 2002, I was invited to visit a prison in the north-west. Given that it was my first time visiting a prison, it’s fair to say I didn’t really know what to expect.

25 May Home affairs

Covid hit our over-stretched courts hard: the current system can not become the new normal

Whilst there are opportunities for new ways of working, there are also difficulties for some cases and some litigants which could affect the delivery of justice.

24 May Home affairs

Ensuring access to justice for all is essential for a functioning democracy

If the government is serious about levelling up, it must invest in key local services, of which the courts are an integral component.

17 May Coronavirus

Ellie Reeves: ‘Victims are being let down and that’s happening on the government’s watch’

The shadow Solicitor General on how the justice system is failing rape survivors, why her passion for politics started at school, and life in a family of MPs

Justice will finally be done for abused animals

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17 May Home affairs

Justice will finally be done for abused animals

The passing of the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill represents significant progress in the battle against animal cruelty. The law must now be followed up with effective deterrence to ensure justice for all abused animals.

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22 Apr Home affairs

Response to MoJ sitting days limit

The Ministry of Justice is to remove the limit on the number of sitting days in the Crown Courts in order to tackle the backlog.

29 Mar Home affairs

We cannot allow victims of crime to become victims of our justice system

It takes strength to stand up to the preparators of crime and I worry that victims will be reluctant to do so for fear of the time it will take to receive justice.

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19 Mar Home affairs

Is the current appeal system acting ‘In the Interests of Justice’? – a review of the report of the Westminster Commission on Miscarriages of Justice

Suzanne Gower, PhD researcher at The University of Manchester, and former managing director of the legal charity APPEAL shares her thoughts on the long-awaited report of the Westminster Commission on Miscarriages of Justice, “In the Interests of Justice”.

17 Mar Home affairs

The disastrous Sentencing Bill has exposed the government’s disregard for victims - women and girls in particular

Labour has set out our own Victims’ Bill for the government to accept, enshrining victims’ rights and protections into law for the very first time.

08 Mar Home affairs

The types of defence have changed, but men are still getting away with rape and murder under a misogynistic justice system

How the criminal justice system treats men who kill their wives needs a thorough review and must be modernised in line with our understanding that there can be no excuses for domestic violence.

22 Oct 2020 Home affairs

This Tory government is letting down victims of rape and domestic abuse on all fronts

We are seeing fewer people are being prosecuted and convicted for rape than at any other time since records began, even though the reports of rape are increasing.

17 Oct 2020 Social affairs

We face a double pandemic of Covid-19 and endemic racism: it is up to us how we respond

The Covid crisis and the death of George Floyd must form a watershed moment to fix the BAME democratic deficit and our history of racial inequality

15 Sep 2020 Home affairs

Continued mismanagement and outsourcing of our Prison Service has failed the taxpayer and prisoners

Inadequate planning, unrealistic assumptions and poor performance have all resulted in a Prison Service which operates hand to mouth, rather than with a view to a long term strategy.

14 Sep 2020 Home affairs

Government must take swift action to improve conviction rates in rape cases

The number of people prosecuted and convicted for rape has fallen to its lowest level since records began in 2009. We now have a situation where many victims of rape who go through the ordeal of a court case, are not getting justice.

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03 Aug 2020 Home affairs

If Lord Chancellor fails, justice will regress, says Bar Council as new report released

Will the Government accept the reality of the parlous state of the justice system now that it is articulated by Sir Bob Neill MP and other eminent Parliamentarians?

03 Aug 2020 Coronavirus

Public access to courtrooms matters - justice has to be seen to be done

Keeping justice out in the open - which means letting the public see, hear and understand hearings - must remain a fundamental principle.

03 Aug 2020 Coronavirus

Coronavirus: MPs warn of access-to-justice crisis as two-thirds of solicitors face going bust by autumn

MPs have warned that the effects of the coronavirus pandemic could leave many with “no access to real justice” as up to 5,000 legal firms face going bust.

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31 Jul 2020 Home affairs

Barristers respond to government announcement on judicial review

We take pride in our system of judicial review and caution against any unnecessary barrier to the public’s right to challenge their government.

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31 Jul 2020 Home affairs

Bar Council responds to the Justice Select Committee's report 'Coronavirus (Covid-19): The impact on courts'

It is essential that investment in robust, high-quality technology and in the wider justice system, is addressed with the urgency it needs.

31 Jul 2020 Home affairs

An Office of the Whistleblower is needed to ensure people who speak up are protected

Whilst there are laws in place to protect whistleblowers, the overwhelming evidence is that they have failed to address the principal issues they face.

27 Jul 2020 Social affairs

Older prisoners may be serving their time, but our jails aren't fit for the elderly

With an ageing prison population living in an outdated estate, more work must be done to keep elderly prisoners healthy and help them rehabilitate

New report reveals England & Wales spends more on coffee than on law and order

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17 Jul 2020 Home affairs

New report reveals England & Wales spends more on coffee than on law and order

The true scale of Britain’s neglect of law and order has been revealed in a new report out today, which shows that the nation spends more on coffee each day than the Government spends on the justice system.