Tag: Ministry of Justice

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

Victims and witnesses of crime will benefit from improved waiting rooms in 10 court buildings across England and Wales.

These rooms provide a safe haven for victims or witnesses while they wait to give evidence and the results of the work will help the most vulnerable visitors feel safe and supported before giving evidence.

The upgrades include improved video link rooms to facilitate pre-recorded evidence, new refreshment stations, and more comfortable seating as well as damp-proofing, re-painting and re-carpeting.

By providing a welcoming and inclusive place for vulnerable people coming to court, the upgraded suites will improve wellbeing, helping witnesses to participate fully in the legal process and see justice done.

Justice Minister Heidi Alexander said:

Giving evidence can be an emotional experience for anyone, especially for victims, who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

This refurbishment project will make the experience more comfortable for witnesses and victims, ensuring they can participate fully in our justice system and that their day in court runs as smoothly as possible.

The refurbishment project across multiple sites in the UK has upgraded witness suites, creating clean, comfortable, and calming atmospheres.

Courts with completed refurbishments are:

• Gloucester Crown Court
• Mold Crown Court
• Highbury Magistrates’ court
• Wolverhampton Combined Court
• Bolton Crown Court
• Crewe Magistrates’ Court
• Kirklees Magistrates’ Court
• Winchester Crown Court
• Truro Magistrates’ Court
• Chelmsford Crown Court

The move comes as the government works to put victims at the heart of every stage of the criminal justice system. During this month’s King’s Speech, the government announced plans for a new Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill which will deliver a justice system that gives victims of crimes  the support they deserve.

The Bill will include measures that:

• strengthen powers for the Victims’ Commissioner to ensure that they are empowered to hold the system to account for the needs of victims not being met
• require offenders to attend their sentencing hearings so that victims and bereaved family members of deceased victims see criminals face the consequences of their actions
• protect the public from sex offenders, restricting parental responsibility for child sex offenders and implementing restrictions on sex offenders changing their names

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

Data released today (16 August 2024) confirms 460 people arrested in connection with the violent disorder earlier this month have faced their day in court and at least 99 have already been sentenced.

This means over 300 more people have appeared in court since last week.

The rapid action taken across the justice system by police, prosecutors and those working in courts has led to over 300 of those individuals being remanded into custody. This is thanks to a collective effort to keep communities safe and free from further violence.

The data released today shows that as of yesterday (15 August 2024):

• 480 defendants had a first hearing scheduled in the magistrates’ court and 460 have already taken place
• 99 were sentenced in either the magistrates’ court or Crown Court
• 185 have been sent to Crown Court for sentencing
• 153 have been sent to Crown Court for trial
• 69 have received a custodial sentence in the Crown Court

All these numbers will continue to increase over the rest of the month as more suspects are arrested, charged and sent to court.

It comes as more than 500 prison places are also being brought online to boost capacity over the coming weeks and ensure there are cells ready to receive all those sent to custody by the courts.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said:

We continue to see swift justice being done and more people feeling the full force of the law as a consequence of their actions.

It is thanks to the hard work of people around the country and across the justice system that guilty offenders are being held to account.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 9 August 2024.

More than 150 of the people arrested in connection with this month’s violent disorder have already faced their day in court, data released today (9 August 2024) has revealed.

The rapid action taken across the justice system by police, prosecutors and those working in courts has led to 118 of those individuals being remanded into custody in a collective effort to keep communities safe and free from further violence.

More than 500 prison places are also being brought online to boost capacity over the coming weeks and ensure there are cells ready to receive all those sent to custody by the courts.

The data released today shows that as of yesterday (8 August 2024):

• 176 defendants had a first hearing scheduled in the magistrates’ court and 154 have already taken place
• 6 were sentenced in the magistrates’ court
• 50 have been sent to Crown Court for sentencing
• 72 have been sent to Crown Court for trial
• 26 cases will have another hearing in the magistrates’ court

All these numbers will increase over the coming days and weeks as more and more suspects are arrested, charged and sent to court.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said:

The mindless minority who caused and took part in the disgraceful scenes we witnessed were warned they would soon feel the full force of the law. This data shows that many have already seen the inside of a courtroom and will see a stint behind bars too. Where they have gone, more will follow.

I would like to pay tribute to the thousands of dedicated professionals across the criminal justice system who have worked tirelessly so such swift action could be taken.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 6 August 2024.

Additional staff and extra funding are being deployed at one of the most troubled prisons in the country following a damning inspection report which highlighted significant concerns.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) issued an Urgent Notification in May after finding that HMP Wandsworth had alarmingly high rates of self-harm, dangerous levels of violence and nearly 50 per cent of prisoners taking drugs.

As the inspectorate recognised, the level of chaos at HMP Wandsworth was typical of a prison system crippled by the overcrowding crisis with over 80 per cent of offenders at the jail sharing cells designed to hold one person.

The report also revealed how crumbling infrastructure, inadequate security measures and consistent staffing pressures had contributed to the prison’s unacceptable rating.

The government is immediately addressing the inspectorate’s concerns by deploying extra specialist staff to help turn the jail around and redirecting £100 million from across the Prison Service that will be spent over 5 years to deliver urgent improvements. This includes cell windows being repaired, shower refurbishments and investment in fire safety measures.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said:

This is the reality of a prison system in crisis. Cells are overcrowded, infrastructure is crumbling and our hard-working prison staff are at risk of violence and harm.

Our staff deserve better and we are taking immediate action at HMP Wandsworth to do what is necessary to protect the public, lock up dangerous offenders and make prisons safe for the brave staff who work there.

Other measures to bolster prison security and safety at HMP Wandsworth include:

• the deployment of specialist security and drug staff and introduction of new leadership
• regular beefed-up drug searches from specialist drug detection teams
• advanced violent reduction training sessions available to prison staff
• improved access to rehabilitative services, such as education and employment workshops for prisoners

The inspection of HMP Wandsworth was the sixth since May 2022 that resulted in an Urgent Notification – the worst possible result under HMIP’s current inspection framework – and is why the Lord Chancellor has today published an urgent action plan to address the prison’s failings.

The Lord Chancellor took immediate action in her first week to avoid a breakdown of law and order due to the overcrowding crisis in prisons that risked a breakdown of law and order with police unable to make arrests.

This includes being able to stop the End of Custody Supervised Licence Scheme and giving probation staff more time to plan for an offender’s release by temporarily reducing the release point of some standard determinate sentences from 50 to 40 per cent with important safeguards and exemptions to keep the public safe.

Sentences for serious violent offences of four years or more, as well as sex offences, will be automatically excluded, and, in an important distinction from the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme, the early release of offenders in prison for domestic-abuse connected crimes will also be excluded.

The Urgent Notification process was introduced in 2017 to ensure immediate, urgent action was taken when necessary to address serious concerns identified by inspectors.

The press release issued on Ministry of Justice on 2 August 2024.

The worst murderers serving whole life sentences no longer have the right to get married behind bars as a new law comes into force today (2 August 2024).

Prisoners serving whole life orders – which means they will never be released – will now be automatically blocked from getting married or entering a civil partnership after the new Lord Chancellor signed a measure in the Victims and Prisoners Act into law.

This will deny the most heinous criminals from enjoying the important life events they callously took from their victims, while preventing families from the trauma of seeing them getting married or entering civil partnerships.

It will also ensure that their horrific crimes are treated with the severity they deserve and maintain confidence in the justice system.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said:

Victims should not be tormented by seeing those who commit the most depraved crimes enjoy the moments in life that were stolen from their loved ones.

That is why I have acted as soon as possible to stop these marriages and give victims the support they deserve.

Prior to these new laws coming into force, these prisoners could make a formal application for marriage or a civil partnership and could only be refused by a prison Governor on the grounds of security concerns.

The measure is part of the Victims and Prisoners Act which strengthens oversight of how criminal justice agencies treat victims and enshrines the principles of the Victims’ Code into law.

The Lord Chancellor will retain the right to permit ceremonies in the most exceptional circumstances.

Whole life orders are reserved for exceptionally serious offences, such as serial or child murders which involved a substantial degree of premeditation or sexual or sadistic conduct.

Note to editors

The prisoner marriage provisions of the Victims and Prisoners Act were commenced via a statutory instrument.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 1 August 2024.

Frontline staff laid bare the challenges they face in helping victims navigate the criminal justice system during a visit from the new Minister for Victims, Alex Davies-Jones.

Visiting Victim Support’s new London headquarters, the Minister heard first-hand the realities of delivering vital support services for brave survivors in a system in crisis.

The visit follows plans set out in the King’s Speech to bring forward a Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill to give victims the justice and support they deserve as part of the government’s blueprint to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

Determined that the justice system will provide a safe space for victims to report and recover from crime, Minister Davies-Jones told staff the government will serve the public by ensuring the voices of brave survivors are returned to the heart of the system and their rights are upheld at every stage of the process.

Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls Alex Davies-Jones said:

Victims and survivors are being failed by a system they feel does not support them. Rape victims are waiting years for justice and an appalling 60 percent of victims choose to withdraw entirely from the process rather than prolong their pain.

This government is committed to restoring trust in our justice system, halving violence against women and ensuring victims’ rights are upheld.  In light of recent events, this has never been more important. The Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill is just the first step of many in achieving this – and I want to reassure victims that the hard work starts now.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Victim Support is an invaluable service for victims and survivors across the country – delivering specialist and tailored support to people affected by crime and anti-social behaviour. It also runs the Government’s Homicide Service which helps bereaved families or eyewitnesses affected by murder or manslaughter.

Katie Kempen, Chief Executive at the charity Victim Support said:

We were delighted to welcome the Victims and VAWG Minister to our London offices earlier this week to meet with frontline staff and discuss the many challenges facing victims. Minister Davies-Jones took the time to hear about the vital role of independent support services in helping people to cope and move on after crime.

We look forward to working with the government to improve the lives of victims and repair the criminal justice system.

The visit follows recent research from the National Police Chief’s Council on violence against women and girls. This showed  these appalling crimes increased by 37 per cent between 2018 and 2023, with at least 1 in every 12 women falling victim each year.

During this month’s King’s Speech, the government announced plans for a new Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill which will deliver a justice system that gives victims of crimes get the support they deserve.

The Bill will include measures that:

• strengthen powers for the Victims’ Commissioner to ensure that they are empowered to hold the system to account for the needs of victims not being met
• require offenders to attend their sentencing hearings so that victims and bereaved family members of deceased victims see criminals face the consequences of their actions
• protect the public from sex offenders, restricting parental responsibility for child sex offenders and implementing restrictions on sex offenders changing their names

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 13 May 2024.

Legal and technology professionals on opposite sides of the world are set to benefit from bolstered connections between the UK and Australia through the UK Government’s GREAT Legal Services campaign’s latest programme of events.

Taking place over the next 2 days (13 and 14 May 2024), Justice Minister Mike Freer will lead a delegation of UK professionals specialising in legal tech services – and builds on the success of last year’s conference which resulted in millions of pounds worth of business deals.

They will interact with Australian professionals through a series of workshops, roundtables and networking events arranged in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade.

This will support UK lawtechs – companies which make technology or software to provide legal services – to win business and grow their market presence in Australia. Figures show UK legal services providers already exported £88 million worth of business to Australia in 2023.

The trip will help develop a pipeline of Australian legal tech firms to be set up or expand in the UK, further cement the UK’s position as a world leader in legal services and legal technology and support smaller regional firms to trade internationally.

Built around Sydney’s annual Legal Innovation and Tech Fest, this is the second year in a row a programme of events to facilitate legal knowledge sharing between the legal sectors of both countries will take place. Companies who attended last May reported business wins of £16.5 million.

Justice Minister, Mike Freer, said:

I’m proud of our legal services’ world-leading reputation and that’s exactly why I’m visiting Australia as well as Singapore – so we can continue sharing our expertise with others and learn from them to maintain our competitive edge.

Importantly, promoting the UK’s legal and tech sectors abroad helps build connections and ultimately bring investment back to the UK – just as we’ve seen from the success of last year’s conference which resulted in millions of pounds worth of business deals.

The delegation is made up of legal tech firms from across the UK with a range of innovative solutions, including some already turning over £20 million a year. For example, Avvoka, a legal tech firm, are expert in legal document automation – meaning they create automated templates using software for legal documents such as contracts – and already have clients around the world, including in the US, Singapore and Australia.

Of particular interest to Australian counterparts is learning more about how the UK Government supports innovation in the lawtech sector and whether any initiatives such as LawtechUK – a government-backed initiative dedicated to driving digital transformation in the legal sector – could be replicated, where the UK is seen as a global leader.

British Consul General and Deputy Trade Commissioner Asia Pacific, Louise Cantillon said:

I am delighted to welcome Minister Freer and these eight UK legal tech companies, who epitomise the evolution of legal tech in the UK and are eager to understand and engage with the Australian market.

Australia and the UK have a long legal history together, and we have entered a new and exciting era in our bilateral relations as we approach the anniversary of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement’s entry into force. The FTA has created new legal and professional services opportunities for both countries, and strengthened the exchange of talent, ideas, and innovation.

A full programme of events is taking place from 9 to 17 May 2024 in Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne. In Singapore, Minister Freer will be looking at the latest technology on probate, court transcripts, AI and discussing how to reduce the legal services regulatory barriers for British lawyers. In Australia, the minister is leading a trade delegation of lawtech companies.

The visit progresses wider UK Government interests in boosting bilateral trade and cooperation with Australia, including the utilisation of a free-trade deal which came into force nearly a year ago to reduce the barriers to exchanging goods and services.

This is part of the government being able to secure unprecedented legal services market access commitments in four Free Trade Agreements (EU, EEA-EFTA, Australia and New Zealand) covering £2 billion worth of UK legal services exports.

Notes to editors

• The UK-Australia FTA provides certainty for legal-tech companies that UK lawyers can advise on home (UK), foreign and international law in Australia using their UK titles and qualification, without needing to requalify again Australia. The Legal Services Regulatory Dialogue, a forum of key representatives from both countries’ legal sectors which was established in the FTA, facilitates greater knowledge and expertise sharing, and has  committed to exploring closer UK-Australia cooperation on emerging issues relating to legal technology and artificial intelligence. More information can be found on the GREAT website
• More information on the GREAT Legal Services campaign can be found on Linkedin
• The GREAT Legal Services campaign works to showcase the UK’s world-leading legal sector around the globe and make connections between UK legal professionals and counterparts in other countries. In the past year, this has included events in Singapore, Kenya, Tanzania, France and South Africa, as well as engagement with the legal sector in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Leeds, and targeted media and social media activity.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 13 May 2024.

Prisoners who break the rules while behind bars face new community payback-style punishments like repair work and litter picking, under tough prison rules to be set out this week.

For the first time, Governors will be able to impose “payback punishments” on prisoners who behave badly in jail, such as damaging prison property or being disrespectful to staff.

Punishments will vary from prison to prison, but could include repairing broken items, clearing shared or disused spaces, and litter picking. Offenders who refuse to carry out their payback punishment could have their prison work earnings blocked or privileges forfeited.

These new powers will build on the action Governors can already take if an offender commits a crime while behind bars.

It will remain the case that in the most serious incidents, for example sexual assault or selling drugs, tougher prison punishments could be handed out. In these cases, the crime will be reported to the police and perpetrators face the prospect of new convictions and time behind bars.

Prisons and Probation Minister Ed Argar said:

Discipline is the cornerstone of a prison that is safe for staff and where offenders are put on track to become law-abiding citizens.

Unruly behaviour is not tolerated and these new punishments will help force prisoners to realise their disruptive actions have tough consequences.

These punishments are inspired by the community payback schemes running in communities up and down the country where offenders are forced to clean up graffiti or fly-tipping and visibly atone for their crimes.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 13 May 2024.

More female offenders than ever recorded before are in work 6 months after their release from prison as a direct result of government action – cutting crime and keeping the public safe.

More than £14 million has been invested into women’s services in the community as part of the government’s Female Offender Strategy and Delivery Plan, helping female offenders get clean, move away from abusive relationships, and find work and stable accommodation.

One year on since its launch, hundreds of female offenders have been supported into employment after their release from prison – up four per cent on the previous year.

Specialist services have also provided female offenders with tailored mental health or drug treatment support. The number of female offenders being sent to prison has reduced by over a quarter since 2010.

This support is key to cutting crime as around one-third of female offenders have a history of drug abuse and more than three-fifths of women have experienced domestic abuse.

Prisons and Probation Minister, Edward Argar, said:

We know many female offenders have suffered trauma in their lives or are battling addiction issues and it’s key that we tackle those underlying factors to help stop their offending and to make positive choices about their futures.

Our approach is clearly working as the number of women serving short sentences is falling and more women are now in work, giving them the best chance to truly turn their backs on crime and keep the public safe.

Tackling the root causes of female offending and providing women with the specialist support they need is a key part of the delivery plan, which aims to steer women away from prison. The Government has completed over a third of the commitments since it was published last year.

This is alongside the launch of a new Intensive Supervision Court for women at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court which uses a problem-solving approach to divert low-level female offenders away from short prison sentences.

The women sentenced through the court will have one-to-one meetings with judges to track their progress as well as access to wraparound multi-agency support to target the root causes of their offending.

Without this wider support, around half of women who have been in prison will go on to re-offend, hitting taxpayers in the pocket to the tune of a total of £1.7 billion a year.

Willowdene Residential Women’s Centre in Shropshire is one organisation that is receiving nearly £690,000 in funding between 2022 and 2025 to continue their support for vulnerable women through employment and life-skills training.

Matt Home, Director of the Willowdene Rehabilitation Centre, said:

Our approach has demonstrated that when we focus on the reasons why people commit crime or live a chaotic lifestyle then lives are transformed.

The majority of women referred to Willowdene for committing an offence are victims and we believe that if we can deal with the trauma of their past then lives can be rebuilt – and that everyone should have the opportunity to realise their full potential.

Notes to editors

• the publication and the data dashboard can be viewed on GOV.UK
• in 2022 to 2023, 233 women were employed at 6 months post-release, compared to 164 in 2021 to 2022. This is the highest the number has been since this data was first recorded in 2020
• over 250 mental health treatment requirements were undertaken between April to June last year; an increase of 53.6% from the same period in 2022

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 10 May 2024.

Vile abusers who rape a child will have their own parental responsibilities automatically removed under new laws.

An amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill tabled by the government today (10 May 2024) will mean when child rapists are sentenced, their ability to make decisions about their own children’s lives will also be suspended.

The change will apply in cases where the perpetrator attacks any child.

This builds on Jade’s Law, introduced through the Victims and Prisoners Bill currently progressing through the Lords, which applies an automatic suspension of parental responsibility in cases where a perpetrator has killed a partner or ex-partner with whom they share children.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk KC, said:

Our priority will always be to make sure the best interests of children are protected.

This new law will ensure they are automatically safeguarded against those whose despicable actions have shown them to utterly lack any nurturing and caring instincts.

This amendment will also provide important protections for innocent parents.

While the courts do have the power to strip parental responsibility when it is in the best interest of a child, currently it requires families and former partners of perpetrators to instigate and fund proceedings to secure these orders to protect their children. Costs for these types of proceedings can run into tens of thousands of pounds.

However, under the new rule, parental responsibility will be automatically suspended.

It means the perpetrator will no longer have any say over key elements of a child’s life – including whether they can access therapeutic support, go on holiday or change schools.

The case will then be referred to the family courts, and it will be for the perpetrator to prove to a judge it is in the child’s best interests for their parental responsibility to be reinstated.

Justice Minister, Laura Farris, said:

It is right that those who commit the most vile and unspeakable act against children should have their parental responsibility automatically removed rather than this being something the innocent parent is required to apply for.

I want to thank those who have campaigned for this change including Harriet Harman and Sanchia Berg for bringing this issue to the fore.

The new law will be subject to a review after three years to ensure it is working for victims and innocent parties, and to evaluate how the power may be developed.

The government also tabled amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill to:

• Introduce a new offence of creating a sexually explicit deepfake image, meaning anyone who creates such an image without consent for their own sexual gratification or to cause alarm, humiliation or distress faces a criminal record and unlimited fine.
• Create a new statutory aggravating factor to tackle offenders who cause death through abusive, degrading or dangerous sexual behaviour meaning so-called ‘rough sex’ killers face tougher sentences than ever before.
• Strengthen the law on sexual activity in the presence of a child, removing the need to prove the perpetrators knew, believed, or intended that the child was aware of the sexual act ensuring no prosecutions are missed.
• Update the language of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, to make crystal clear in law and to the public that spiking is illegal.

The government previously amended the Victims and Prisoners Bill to introduce an automatic suspension of parental responsibility in tragic cases where one parent has killed the other, also known as ‘Jade’s Law’.

This law is named after Jade Ward, who was murdered by her former partner in 2021. Her family campaigned tirelessly to change the law after her murderer was able to continue to take part in decisions relating to their four children inflicting further trauma on them and Jade’s parents.

Notes to editors

• Under this new approach local authorities will be responsible for making the application to the family courts, shielding the families involved from the burden of initiating proceedings and meeting legal costs. MOJ will be funding the additional costs this will create for local authorities via the New Burdens process.
• The family court ‘review’ stage will allow for detailed consideration of the best interests of any children involved in the case, the cornerstone of the Children Act 1989. It will also provide an opportunity for the perpetrator to make representations as to why they feel they should retain their parental responsibility, in line with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
• In determining the child’s welfare needs, the family court will apply the factors set out in the ‘welfare checklist’ in the Children Act 1989. These include the ascertainable wishes and feelings of the child concerned, the impact on the child of any change in circumstances, and how capable each parent is of meeting the child’s needs. The court will also consider any harm the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering.
• Parental responsibility can already be restricted by the court through a range of orders if it is in the best interests of the child. In the most serious cases, this can effectively amount to restricting all exercise of parental responsibility. These types of orders include Prohibited Steps Orders and Specific Issues Orders and they can be made whether the parent has been convicted of a crime or not.
• The family court can also prevent an individual attempting to repeatedly bring issues back before the court as a form of abuse through measures such as a Section 91(14) Order. These orders prohibit an individual from making further applications without the court’s permission, for example in cases where a perpetrator may seek to repeatedly bring a victim back to court as a means of perpetuating their abuse.