Tag: Ministry of Justice

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 10 January 2025.

Top UK business leaders will spearhead a major new drive to get thousands of offenders into stable jobs and away from a life of crime.

• New Employment Councils to bring probation, prisons and local businesses together
• Household UK names including the Co-op and Oliver Bonas backing new initiative
• Scheme aims to get more offenders into work to cut crime as part of Plan for Change

Bosses from household names including Greggs, Iceland and COOK will be among those to sit on new Employment Councils supporting offenders serving their sentence in the community into work.

They will build on the success of prison Employment Advisory Boards, which were created by Lord Timpson before he became a government minister. These have brought local business leaders into jails to improve education and prisoners’ ability to get work when released.

The new regional Employment Councils will expand this model out to the Probation Service and the tens of thousands of offenders serving their sentences in the community.

Each council will also have a representative from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to help improve links with local job centres.

The initiative was a manifesto commitment and will play a crucial role in the Government’s mission to make streets safer by tackling reoffending under the Plan for Change.

Around 80% of all crime is reoffending but latest data shows offenders employed six weeks after leaving prison had a reoffending rate around half of those out of work.

Alongside breaking the cycle of crime, getting offenders into work helps employers fill vacancies, build their businesses, plug skill gaps and boost the UK economy.

Minister for Probation, Prisons and Reducing Reoffending, James Timpson, said:

Getting former offenders into stable work is a sure way of cutting crime and making our streets safer. That’s why partnering with businesses to get more former offenders into work is a win-win.

The Employment Advisory Boards I spear-headed have made huge progress and now these Employment Councils will expand that success to steer even more offenders away from crime as part of our Plan for Change.

Employment Councils will provide support to frontline probation staff already involved in getting offenders into work. They will provide them with a greater understanding of the local labour market and help build better relationships with suitable employers.

Further support from the DWP will help link offenders with work coaches placed at job centres throughout the country.

These coaches will be on hand to get offenders job-ready through mock interviews, CV advice and by sharing tips on how to secure further training opportunities in the community.

DWP Lords Minister, Baroness Maeve Sherlock, said:

As well as making our streets safer, helping offenders into work will enable employers to fill vacancies and plug our skills gaps.

This work is vital in our Plan for Change as we begin our task of fixing the fundamentals of the social security system and progress with wider work to reduce poverty, put more money in people’s pockets and keep our streets safe.

That’s why I am pleased that DWP staff will also be a part of the new regional Employment Councils to directly connect them with the frontline support delivered every day by Jobcentre staff across the country – offering work experience and access to our employment programmes.

Research from the Ministry of Justice shows that 90% of businesses that employ ex-offenders agreed that they are good attenders, motivated and trustworthy

Rosie Brown, co-CEO of COOK, said:

A job provides a key way to help people restore their lives and relationships following a stretch in prison.

In return, we get committed, loyal team members to help us build our business.  Re-offending is reduced, and families, communities, and society as a whole wins.

Employment Councils will serve as the successor to regional Employment Advisory Boards and will officially bring together probation, prisons, local employers and DWP under one umbrella for the first time, with a renewed focus on broadening support to offenders in the community.

The Boards will continue at 93 individual prisons but the addition of regional Employment Councils will help prison leavers look for work across an entire region, not just the immediate vicinity of the last prison they were in.

Notes to editors

• The latest data shows offenders unemployed six weeks after leaving prison had a reoffending rate more than double of those in work (35.3% vs 16.8%).
• Over 90 percent of businesses that employ ex-offenders agreed they are motivated, reliable, good at their job and trustworthy, according to a survey by Kantar Public commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. Total sample size 114 businesses that employ ex-offenders. Fieldwork undertaken between 18-24 March 2022. Online self-completion survey.
• Employment Councils will be set up in 11 different regions, encompassing all of England and Wales. The regional breakdown is as follows: Bedfordshire, Cambridge & Norfolk and Hertfordshire, Essex & Suffolk; Cumbria & Lancashire; Devon & North Dorset and Avon & South Dorset; East, North & West Midlands; Kent, Surrey & Sussex; Greater Manchester, Merseyside & Cheshire; London; the North East; South Central; Wales; Yorkshire.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 7 January 2025.

Predators who create sexually explicit ‘deepfakes’ could face prosecution as the Government bears down on vile online abuse.

• Government to make creating sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images a criminal offence
• Perpetrators to face up to two years behind bars under new offences for taking an intimate image without consent and installing equipment to enable these offences
• Package delivers on Government’s Plan for Change and manifesto commitment to protect women and girls

Predators who create sexually explicit ‘deepfakes’ could face prosecution as the Government bears down on vile online abuse as part of its mission to make our streets safer.

The proliferation of these hyper-realistic images has grown at an alarming rate, causing devastating harm to victims, particularly women and girls who are often the target.

To tackle this, the government will introduce a new offence meaning perpetrators could be charged for both creating and sharing these images, not only marking a crackdown on this abhorrent behaviour but making it clear there is no excuse for creating a sexually explicit deepfake of someone without their consent.

The Government will also create new offences for the taking of intimate images without consent and the installation of equipment with intent to commit these offences – sending a clear message that abusers will face the full force of the law.

Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said:

It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised, and as part of our Plan for Change we are bearing down on violence against women – whatever form it takes.

These new offences will help prevent people being victimised online. We are putting offenders on notice – they will face the full force of the law.

While it is already an offence to share – or threaten to share – an intimate image without consent, it is only an offence to take an image without consent in certain circumstances, such as upskirting.

Under the new offences, anyone who takes an intimate image without consent faces up to two years’ custody. Those who install equipment so that they, or someone else, can take intimate images without consent also face up to two years behind bars.

The move delivers on the Government’s manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes as well as recommendations from the Law Commission relating to intimate images.

Alongside existing offences of sharing intimate images without consent, this will give law enforcement a holistic package of offences to effectively tackle non-consensual intimate image abuse.

Baroness Jones, Technology Minister, said:

The rise of intimate image abuse is a horrifying trend that exploits victims and perpetuates a toxic online culture. These acts are not just cowardly, they are deeply damaging, particularly for women and girls who are disproportionately targeted.

With these new measures, we’re sending an unequivocal message: creating or sharing these vile images is not only unacceptable but criminal. Tech companies need to step up too – platforms hosting this content will face tougher scrutiny and significant penalties.

Campaigner and presenter Jess Davies said:

Intimate-image abuse is a national emergency that is causing significant, long-lasting harm to women and girls who face a total loss of control over their digital footprint, at the hands of online misogyny.

Women should not have to accept sexual harassment and abuse as a normal part of their online lives, we need urgent action and legislation to better protect women and girls from the mammoth scale of misogyny they are experiencing online.

These new offences follow the Government’s action in September 2024 to add sharing intimate image offences as priority offences under the Online Safety Act. This put the onus on platforms to root out and remove this type of content – or face enforcement action from Ofcom.

The new offences will be included in the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. Further details of the new offences will be set out in due course.

Further information

• The sexually explicit deepfakes offences will apply to images of adults. This is because the law already covers this behaviour where the image is of a child (under the age of 18).
• It is already an offence to share or threaten to share intimate images, including deepfakes, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, following amendments that were made by the Online Safety Act 2023.
• The Government will repeal two existing voyeurism offences that relate to the recording of a person doing a private act, and recording an image beneath a person’s clothing.
• They will be replaced with a range of new offences:
  • Taking or recording an intimate photograph or film without consent or reasonable belief in it
• Taking or recording an intimate photograph or film without consent and with intent to cause alarm, distress, or humiliation
• Taking or recording an intimate photograph or film without consent or reasonable belief in it, and for the purpose of the sexual gratification of oneself or another
• We will also introduce new offences that criminalise someone if they install or adapt, prepare or maintain equipment, and do so with the intent of enabling themselves or another to commit one of the three offences of taking an intimate image without consent.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 17 December 2024.

The Lord Chancellor has announced that courts can now sit up to 108,500 days this year, helping to tackle the court backlog.

More victims will see justice thanks to an extra 2,000 Crown Court sitting days announced by the Lord Chancellor today (Tuesday 17 December).

This will see courts sit for a total of 108,500 days this year – the highest figure in almost a decade – helping to tackle the court backlog, as the government ploughs ahead with bold and ambitious reforms to tackle the ongoing crisis in the Crown Court.

The backlog in our courts has been growing significantly since the pandemic and currently stands at over 73,000 cases, delaying perpetrators having their day in court and victims getting justice.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood, said:

It is vital we do everything we can to bring down the backlog of cases and ensure victims see justice sooner, and these extra sitting days are another step towards that.

But we know more must be done, which is why I have asked Sir Brian Leveson to undertake his review and make recommendations for significant reform of our courts system as part of this government’s wider Plan for Change.

This is the latest step in the government’s efforts to cut the backlog, deliver for victims and drive down the record remand population.

As well as adding more sitting days, the government is also planning once-in-a-generation reforms of the courts system. Earlier in the month, it was announced that Sir Brian Leveson will be conducting an independent review into the criminal courts, to identify major reforms.

These reforms could include “intermediate courts”, where cases too serious for magistrates’ courts but not serious enough for the Crown Court could be heard by a judge, flanked by magistrates.

The plans form part of the government’s commitment to safer streets by reducing the court backlog, speeding up trials for victims, and rebuilding public confidence in the criminal justice system.

Further information

• The Lord Chancellor had already increased the number of sitting days agreed by the previous government, from 106,000 to 106,500 in September 2024.
• The review into criminal courts will be led by Sir Brian Leveson, a former High Court Judge and a previous President of the Queen’s Bench Division.
• In October the government doubled sentencing powers for magistrates’ courts in order to divert 2,000 cases away from the Crown Court and to ease pressure on the remand population in our prisons
• Fees for criminal legal aid work in police stations and youth courts have been increased by £24 million
• The government also announced its intention to consult on an increase to civil legal aid fees for housing and immigration cases

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 16 December 2024.

The Secretary of State has approved the appointments of 78 Parole Board Members and the reappointment of one member.

Appointment of Independent members

The following members have been appointed for a 5-year term from 12 May 2025 until 11 May 2030:

• Suzette Allcorn
• Victoria Allison
• Christina Anand
• Kenneth Armstrong
• Anna Backhouse
• Catherine Banks
• Claire Bentley
• Naomi Bentley-Walls
• Sophie Buck
• Martine Cotter
• Chris Dyke
• Jennifer Ferrario
• Stefan Fox
• Michael Garland-Irvine
• Paramjit Giddy
• Joanna Godfrey
• Sandra Hainsworth
• James Hall
• Zoe Harding
• Fiona Hay
• Debbie Hill
• Victoria Holbrook-Hughes
• Catherine Holmes
• John Holmes
• Zahir Hussain
• Kathryn Jamieson-Sinclair
• Tim Johnson
• Charlotte Johnson
• Angus Jones
• Sukhveer Kandola
• Eva Katsani
• Emma Kent
• David Lancaster
• Heidi Leavesley
• Kirsty Madden
• Ruth Mann
• Patrick Mulligan
• Louise (Carole) Newman
• Matthew Nicholls
• Pulcherie Norbert Dit Imbs
• Alice North
• Roxanne O’Brien
• Niamh O’Maolain
• Nicola Robinson
• Rakesh Sharma
• Katherine Showunmi
• Justine Skeats
• Justin Taylor
• Christopher Taylor
• Rachel Thomas
• Lesley Took
• Andrew Tyler
• Peggy Vance
• Sue Williams
• Miranda Winram

The following members have been appointed for a 5-year term from 4 November 2025 until 3 November 2030:

• Jasmine Basnyet
• Rachelle Broadley
• Kerensa Butcher
• Ewan Duncan
• Paul Froud
• Ruth Glazzard
• Deborah Jago
• Verity Lundy
• Andrew Macnamara
• Zaiba Malik
• Lisa Murphy
• Emma Stranack

The following members have been appointed for a 5-year term from 20 January 2026 until 19 January 2031:

• Matthew Henson
• Michaela Jones
• Geraldine O’Hare
• Farhana Rahman-Cook
• Bethany Smith
• Katie Stevens
• Alan Tallentire
• Hanna Van den Berg

Appointment of Independent members with Law Enforcement experience

The following members have been appointed for a 5-year term from 12 May 2025 until 11 May 2030:

• Richard Tucker
• Martyn Underhill
• Peter White

Reappointment of an Independent member

The following member has been reappointed for a further term of 5 years from 1 December 2024 until 30 November 2029:

• Wendy Poynton

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 12 December 2024.

Victims of crimes will see the perpetrators face justice more quickly under a once-in-a-generation review of criminal courts, the Lord Chancellor announced today (12 December).

As newly released statistics show the Crown Court backlog has reached a record high, the review will look at what more can be done to make sure criminals have their day in court, without delay, get the punishment they deserve, and keep our streets safe.

The review – led by Sir Brian Leveson – will consider the case for new “intermediate courts” where cases too serious for magistrates’ courts but not serious enough for the Crown Court could be heard by a judge, flanked by magistrates.

Sir Brian will also be asked to consider whether Magistrates should be empowered to look at more cases, freeing up capacity in the Crown Court to consider the more complex, serious crimes. By reclassifying some offences and extending magistrates’ sentencing powers, certain trials could move to magistrates’ courts. This would build on the decision to allow magistrates to hand out custodial sentences for up to 12 months announced earlier in the year.

It will also look at where technology can be used to drive efficiencies and improve how the Crown Court functions.

The review comes as statistics published today show the outstanding Crown Court caseload has now risen to 73,105 – nearly double the 38,000 seen before the pandemic. This increase means more victims are facing unprecedented waits for justice, with some trials now being listed for 2027. Victims wait around a year on average for their case to be resolved; for rape victims it’s over two years.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said:

The scale of the Crown Court crisis inherited by this government is unprecedented. Despite the efforts of judges, lawyers and court staff, we simply cannot continue with the status quo.

To deliver the government’s bold Plan for Change and make our streets safer, we require once-in-a-generation reform of a courts system stretched to breaking point.

In many cases, victims are waiting years to see their perpetrator put before a judge, and we know for many victims, justice delayed is as good as justice denied.

We owe it to victims to find bold, innovative approaches that will speed up justice, deliver safer streets and send a clear message to criminals that they will quickly face the consequences of their actions.

The review will build on previous reviews, such as the 2001 Review of the Criminal Courts in England and Wales by Lord Justice Auld and the 2015 report into Efficiency in Criminal Proceedings by Sir Brian Leveson.

It is expected to report back with initial recommendations by Spring 2025.

Sir Brian Leveson said:

I am pleased to contribute to the important task of seeking to address the very real difficulties facing the criminal justice system.

A challenge of this scale requires innovative solutions and I look forward to making my recommendations to the Lord Chancellor in due course.

While the government has taken action to reduce pressure on the courts system, these figures show the scale of the challenge. Even if the Crown Court were to operate at maximum capacity, the backlog would continue to grow. Bold, innovative reforms are therefore the necessary solution.

The reforms being looked at will not only make sure victims get the justice they deserve, but will also relieve pressure on the prison estate and drive down the record remand population.

The plans form part of the government’s commitment to safer streets by reducing the courts backlog, speeding up trials for victims, and rebuilding public confidence in the criminal justice system.

Further information

• The review will be led by Sir Brian Leveson, a former High Court Judge and a previous President of the Queen’s Bench Division
• In October the government doubled sentencing powers for magistrates’ courts in order to divert 2,000 cases away from the Crown Court and to ease pressure on the remand population in our prisons
• The Lord Chancellor also increased the number of sitting days agreed by the previous government, from 106,000 to 106,500
• Fees for criminal legal aid work in police stations and youth courts have been increased by £24 million
• The government also announced its intention to consult on an increase to civil legal aid fees for housing and immigration cases
• The government conducted an external audit on our Criminal Courts data, which has been published for the first time today since March. You can find the updated statistics.
• Sir Brian Leveson will continue as normal in his role at the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 11 December 2024.

Fourteen thousand new prison places, with a target to open by 2031, form part of a 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy to make sure we always have the spaces needed to keep the public safe.

Part of the government’s Plan for Change, and its mission to make our streets safe, 4 new prisons will be built in the next 7 years, opening up around 6,500 places to lock up dangerous criminals.

Under the 10-year prison capacity strategy, unveiled by the Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood today (11 December), a further 6,400 places will be built in new blocks on current sites, 1,000 rapid deployment cells will be rolled out and over 1,000 existing cells will be refurbished.

£2.3 billion will be invested to back this prison build, while a further £500 million will go towards vital building maintenance across prisons and the probation service.

The strategy out today also reveals the scale of the problem this government is facing, after capacity of the prison estate increased by less than 500 places in the 14 years to April 2024.

To get shovels into the ground fast, changes to planning rules will see prisons deemed as sites of national importance, reflecting their critical importance to public protection. This will put an end to lengthy delays in the planning process which are stopping new prisons from being built as quickly as needed.

The government will also get ahead of demand with an ambition to acquire new land for potential future prisons if needed and to make sure the supply always keeps up with demand.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said:

The last government pretended they could send people away for longer and longer without building the prisons they promised. This strategy reveals that their prison building plans were years delayed and nearly £5bn over budget. They left our prisons in crisis, on the edge of collapse.

Part of our plan for change, this capacity strategy, alongside an independent review of sentencing policy, will keep our streets safe and ensure no government runs out of prison places again.

In just a few short months, this government has already added around 500 places, as part of the 20,000 place prison expansion programme.

Last week, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government also gave the go ahead for a new prison next to HMP Garth in Lancashire, on greenbelt land, after three years and four months stuck in the planning system. This will allow for around 1700 prison places to be built on the site.

In the last decade, despite significant increases in the time offenders spent in prison, there was no transparency with the public over the growing gulf between supply and demand.

To make sure this government, and future administrations, are always properly held to account on prison building and the long-term impact of changes to sentencing, from now on an Annual Statement on Prison Capacity will be published, providing clarity to Parliament and the public on the availability of prison places.

Today, the Lord Chancellor has published the first statement of its kind.

The 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy will work alongside the Independent Sentencing Review to ensure there is always space in prison and the country never runs out of prison spaces ever again.

The Independent Sentencing Review, chaired by the Rt Hon David Gauke, will make sure the most serious offenders can always be sent to prison to protect the public.

Background information

The government has committed to strengthening the approach to national planning policy to make clear that significant weight should be places on the importance of new, expanded or upgraded infrastructure – including prisons.

The Ministry of Housing and Local Government intends to publish the response to an ongoing consultation and revised National Planning Policy Framework later this year.

We are investing £220 million in prison and probation service maintenance in 2024-2025 and up to £300 million in 2025-26, to improve conditions and keep prisons safe and secure.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 27 November 2024.

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State has approved the appointment of Martin Pratt and Robert Sullivan as members of the Youth Justice Board (YJB) for 3 years from 1 November 2024 until 31 October 2027.

Martin Pratt

Martin has spent his whole career working in the field of children’s services, including 13 years as a Director of Children’s Services. He was formerly Executive Director Supporting People & Deputy Chief Executive for the London Borough of Camden. He is a qualified social worker and has extensive experience in education and youth justice as well as health and social care.

Robert Sullivan

Robert is the CEO of the UK’s leading sports charity the Football Foundation; a Trustee of the prisoner rehabilitation charity, the Twinning Project; and a former Chair of a homelessness intervention charity. He has a professional background in strategy development, corporate affairs and insight and a personal passion for driving positive social change through sport.

Both did not declare any political activity.

The YJB is a non-departmental public body responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales. Its primary function is to monitor the operation of the youth justice system and the provision of youth justice services.

Appointments to the YJB are made by the Secretary of State for Justice and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Recruitment processes comply with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 18 November 2024.

The Lord Chancellor has appointed Kelly Stricklin-Coutinho as a legally qualified member to the Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) from 12 July 2025 until 11 July 2028.

The CPRC is a non-departmental public body. It was established under the Civil Procedure Act 1997 (CPA 1997) to make rules of court, setting out the practice and procedure, for the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the County Court.

Legally qualified members of the CPRC are appointed by the Lord Chancellor under section 2(1B) of the CPA 1997. The appointment of legally qualified members complies with the Governance Code on Public Appointments and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Biography

Called to the Bar of England and Wales, in 2006, and – in 2020 – called to the Bar of the Republic of Ireland. Kelly qualified as a solicitor of England and Wales in 2008. She has practised at 39 Essex Chambers since 2014.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 14 November 2024.

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice has approved the appointment of Karin Phillips MBE as a member of the Youth Justice Board (YJB) from 1 November 2024 until 30 September 2025.

Ministers consulted the Commissioner for Public Appointments before making the appointment which will ensure that the YJB has a board member, with experience and knowledge of Wales, while a recruitment exercise is run.

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice has also approved that the second term of Keith Fraser, the Chair of the YJB Chair, be extended from 14 April 2025 until 31 December 2025.

Karin Phillips MBE

Karin is currently a school governor at a high school in Cardiff, where she serves as the lead governor for music, drama, and safeguarding. Previously, she held the position of vice chair on the governing body of a primary school. Following several years in medical research, she transitioned to the Government Statistical Service. Mrs Phillips has held multiple positions within the Welsh Government, including the role of Deputy Director for Community Safety.

In recognition of her contributions to Community Safety in Wales and to the community in Cardiff, she was honoured with the MBE in the 2014 New Year Honours List.

Keith Fraser YJB Chair

Keith was appointed YJB Chair on 14 April 2020 and was subsequently reappointed on 14 April 2023. Keith is: Non-Executive Director/Trustee at The Work Force Development Trust; Committee Member for the Youth Endowment Fund; Patron for Employability UK. Keith was made a Commissioner for the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities on 16 July 2020.

Prior to this, Keith was a Superintendent and Chief Inspector in the West Midlands Police, during which time he produced the 2016-19 Preventing Gang Involvement and Youth Violence strategy, having previously joined the Metropolitan Police Service as a Constable.

All did not declare any political activity.

The YJB is a non-departmental public body, responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales. Its primary function is to monitor the operation of the youth justice system and the provision of youth justice services.

Appointments to the YJB are made by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Appointments and Reappointments comply with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 14 November 2024.

Criminal legal aid will be bolstered by £24 million, as part of government work to tackle crisis in the justice system and keep courts running.