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 »
Just around the corner from where the Krays used to hold sway in east London’s Brick Lane there is an establishment called Alcotraz. Described as “London’s first immersive theatrical cocktail bar”, Alcotraz allows you to dress up in a prison uniform, get locked up in a cell, have a cocktail or two, and get your
Britain’s prisons are becoming ever more like the failed US system Read More »
The Treasury refused to bankroll the creation of an extra 33 Nightingale courtrooms despite the backlog of criminal trials soaring to record levels, it has been revealed. The Ministry of Justice drew up plans earlier this year to open up a new series of ad-hoc courts to help tackle the justice crisis, as victims, witnesses, and defendants faced lengthy delays with rape and
Treasury blocked extra Nightingale Court plans despite justice crisis Read More »
Children were held in a ‘chaotic’ privately-run prison in Milton Keynes for up to 23 hours a day throughout the summer without proper air conditioning or ventilation, according to a damning report from prison inspectors identifying widespread failings. Oakhill secure training centre is run by G4S and holds up to 80 boys aged 12 to
Boys locked in rooms 23 hours a day without air-conditioning at G4S-run prison Read More »
