Experts in mental health, human rights, and criminal justice have called on parliament to put an end to indefinite jail terms, which have left thousands of prisoners languishing in jail beyond their minimum tariff. The imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences, abolished over a decade ago, have been described as a “living nightmare” by campaigners. […]
Experts call for end to indefinite jail terms Read More »
Details of deaths in Britain’s prisons will now be published weekly in a “truly momentous” improvement in openness and transparency. The prisons and probation ombudsman (PPO) will post weekly updates identifying those who have died, the prison where they were being held and the date of their death. Previously, details of those who have died inside prisons have not been released until an
List of prison deaths to be published in move ‘from secrecy to openness’ Read More »
The Law Society, the agency that governs solicitors in England and Wales, has issued a report on the demise of criminal defence solicitors, specifically duty solicitor across the country. Analysis of the number of criminal defence solicitors in England and Wales has shown an alarming 37% fall in duty solicitors. In the past ten years,
Collapse in Access to Criminal Defence Solicitors Read More »
Prisoners are being held on remand for years, while victims of crime are waiting up similar periods for their cases to be heard in court, the Telegraph reports. A record 16,200 people are presently imprisoned on remand without being tried or convicted. This is 16% of the total prison population – a 50-year high. The backlog of pending
Prisoners serving years on remand Read More »
The new director of the Serious Fraud Office is pushing to pay whistleblowers, a reversal from the agency’s past resistance to the tactic, as he tries to revive the fortunes of the beleaguered prosecutor. The move to reward informants for information is among Nick Ephgrave’s plans to reform how the SFO investigates major fraud and
Serious Fraud Office Director pushes to pay whistleblowers and use covert tactics Read More »
Prisons are on course to run out of space by spring despite the early release of hundreds of offenders, ministers have been warned. Figures seen by The Telegraph show that only 550 spaces remain in male prisons, with 99.35 per cent of jail cells full to capacity, while 113 spaces are left in the women’s estate at 97 per
Prisons to run out of space by Spring Read More »
Romance scam reports increased by more than a fifth (22%) last year compared with 2022, according to data from Lloyds Bank. The average amount lost to romance scams last year was £6,937, slightly down from £8,237 in 2022. People aged between 55 and 64 were most likely to report being scammed by fraudsters masquerading as love
Romance Scam reports rose by a fifth in 2023 says Lloyds Bank Read More »
Dominic Raab has been accused of failing to take the concerns of criminal barristers in England and Wales seriously as the estimated number of cases delayed by their strike hit 2,000. Barristers once again joined picket lines across the country on Monday as the walkout over legal aid fees entered its second week. Speaking outside the Royal Courts
Dominic Raab accused of failing to address concerns of criminal barristers Read More »
Hundreds of barristers have today begun open-ended action over legal aid funding that could see the criminal justice system slowly grind to a halt within weeks. Dozens of chambers have publicly declared they are adopting a policy of ‘no returns’ from today – withdrawing a longstanding gesture of goodwill in which barristers cover for colleagues
Point of No Returns Read More »
Whingeing about the weather is an ancient British tradition. So when a November cold snap combined with a crumbling court infrastructure, the sound of lawyers crying “we’re freezing” could be heard across the land. Dominic Raab, the lord chancellor, and his officials at the Ministry of Justice were inundated with complaints on Twitter flagging up
Courts reach boiling point during cold snap Read More »
