Tag: Ministry of Justice

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 15 September 2023.

Lincoln Crown Court opens its doors to celebrate 200 years of serving the community and delivering justice.

Families will get a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to try on wigs and gowns, hear how judges prepare for cases, and even make the walk from the dock to the cells at Lincoln Crown Court as the historic site opens its doors to celebrate 200 years of serving the community and delivering justice.

Residents will be invited into the historic court building on Saturday (16 September 2023) to explore its rich history, relive criminal trials over the past 2 centuries, and take a behind-the-scenes look at how justice is done.

Court hearings have taken place on the same site in the grounds of Lincoln Castle as far back as the 11th century. Building on the current Crown Court building began in 1823, designed by Sir Robert Smirke, with a grand jury room and 2 courtrooms to hear criminal and civil cases.

In March 1872, the court held the trial of William Frederick Horry who was convicted of murdering his wife and became the first person in the UK to be executed by the long drop method of hanging.

The building still hears criminal cases from across Lincolnshire today and the open day will offer a unique hands-on opportunity to take in its courtrooms, defendant dock, cells, and jury rooms. Visitors can also watch a mock trial and sentencing to understand how the court continues to deliver justice.

Judges, magistrates and court staff will be on hand to answer questions, and families can speak to Probation Service and Crown Prosecution Service teams about how they each play a vital role right across the modern-day justice system.

Justice Minister Mike Freer, said:

As well as a world-leading justice system, we have a truly historic courts estate with fascinating histories and stories to tell.

We are investing millions of pounds every year to ensure our court buildings are fit for the future and reflect our high standards, while also preserving their unique and incredibly important history.

Nick Goodwin, CEO of HM Courts and Tribunals Service, said:

We are delighted to be opening our doors to the public to talk about the rich history of Lincoln Crown Court, show off this impressive building and the brilliant people who work there, and share all we do here at HMCTS to make sure justice is delivered.

Lincoln Crown Court will be open to visitors from 10am on Saturday 16 September.

The open day follows an announcement from the government that court buildings across the country will benefit from £220 million for essential modernisation and repair work across the next 2 years to minimise disruptions caused by old buildings.

Improvements will maintain the heritage of the courts and tribunals estate, while ensuring it is equipped with the latest technology to deliver modern justice as well as improving accessibility for all users.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 5 September 2023.

The Lord Chancellor has approved the appointment of 15 lay panel members of disciplinary tribunals to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 1 September 2023.

More than 750 graduates have now swapped university halls for prison walls as demand for the Unlocked Graduates scheme reached new heights.

Unlocked Graduates, which encourages the best and brightest university leavers to become prison officers, is now receiving 30 applications per place on average. Since the scheme launched in 2016, successful candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds have worked with 20,000 prisoners in 37 prisons across England and Wales.

Speaking at the Summer Institute event for trainees at Leeds Trinity University on Tuesday (29 August 2023), the Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk, thanked new officers for their hard work which will help protect the public and drive down the £18 billion a year cost of reoffending.

The rise in applications is in part due to the positive reputation of the programme – 100 per cent of participants who complete feedback surveys rated the training as good or above and 100 per cent of Governors that Unlocked work with want another cohort.

Earlier this month new statistics showed the overall number of prison officers has increased by 700 since June last year. They will join up to 5,000 extra officers in private and public prisons by the mid-2020s being recruited through the Prison Service’s largest ever recruitment drive and a major campaign beginning later this year.

The campaign comes on top of a recent 7% pay rise for frontline officers to reward current staff for their vital work. The increase adds to a major boost in starting salaries in recent years, which now stands at £30,902 compared to £22,293 in 2019.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC, said:

Becoming a prison officer is a hugely important and rewarding career, protecting the public and changing lives for the better.

It is encouraging to see so much talent joining our prison service, and we will build on this by continuing to improve pay and by launching our largest ever recruitment drive.

A brand-new cohort of more than 100 aspiring prison officers attended the event marking the end of a 6 week intensive training programme, preparing them for their first day on the prison wings. This is the first step of a wider two-year Graduate Development Programme.

When they arrive on prison landings the recruits will be doing more than just ensuring safety and security, many will support prisoners into employment which is vital in breaking the cycle of crime. Thanks in part to the hard work of prison staff, the number of ex-offenders who have been successfully steered into jobs within 6 months post release has more than doubled from 14% to 30% since April 2021.

As a result of programmes such as Unlocked Graduates, being a prison officer is an attractive graduate profession in the UK alongside more traditional careers such as teaching or law.

Natasha Porter OBE, Founder and CEO of Unlocked Graduates, said:

Since 2017, Unlocked Graduates has recruited, trained and supported over 750 high-flying graduates to become prison officers relentlessly focused on reducing reoffending.

High quality prisons with excellent prison officers make our streets and society safer. We want to make sure the best people join the prison service. Through our graduate programme, top talent can develop incredible leadership skills while working to reduce crime. It’s fantastic to see so many people are competing for a place on Unlocked Graduates, and I continue to be very excited about the impact the incredible people who join our programme are able to have. We can only achieve this level of success thanks to the support of the Ministry of Justice, and we are hugely grateful to the Lord Chancellor for visiting our training.

Former Unlocked Graduate Kat Gartland added:

Before I came across Unlocked, I’d never considered a career in the prison service. Now, I can’t see myself doing anything else.

Every day I know I am contributing towards breaking cycles of reoffending and helping those in my care. Applying for Unlocked Graduates was the best decision I’ve made – I got the chance to develop as a leader from day one, alongside a master’s and lifelong friends. I’d encourage everyone to apply.

Participants in the programme are supported and developed through intensive mentoring and a programme of study that results in a Master’s degree. They complete this while taking on the full duties of a frontline Band 3 Prison Officer. Graduates also have the opportunity to input into policy and create lasting change across prisons.

To learn more about the Unlocked Graduates scheme and apply, visit Unlocked Graduates (unlockedgrads.org.uk). For wider information on the role of a prison officer, go to https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/prison-officer.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 1 September 2023.

Hundreds of victims of domestic abuse will be better protected as perpetrators who still pose a risk once they are released from prison will be made to wear electronic monitoring tags.

Through the scheme, which will launch in the East and West Midlands, any offender who poses a threat to a former partner or their children can now be forced to wear an electronic tag, protecting victims from further trauma.

Offenders who are tagged can be banned from going within a certain distance of a victim’s home, with the tags monitoring their whereabouts or making them abide by a strict curfew. Offenders who breach these rules face being returned to prison.

Up to 500 prison leavers will, for the first time, be made to wear a GPS or curfew tag as part of an initial pilot which is expected to be rolled out across England and Wales next year.

The government has also announced today that over 2,700 victims have been protected from further harassment from their imprisoned abusers thanks to a Prison Service scheme launched last summer.

The Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service ensures offenders are unable to dial a victim’s number from prison phones or send out threatening letters to their address. Its relaunch last year through a simple online form and greater publicity has spared thousands from threats and abuse.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk, said:

Survivors of domestic abuse show great strength and bravery in coming forward, and it is right that every tool is used to protect them from further harm.

The tagging of prison leavers at risk of committing further domestic abuse is a further protection we are introducing to help victims rebuild their lives and feel safe in their communities.

Louise, a survivor of domestic violence, said:

The thought of my abuser trying to make contact – either from behind bars or once released – was one that left me feeling anxious and powerless.

These measures provide reassurance that we as survivors are being better protected from these efforts to intimidate and terrorise us.

More than 3,000 reports have been made to the Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service since its relaunch in June 2022 – representing a 4,779% increase compared to the old offline scheme. Of the 2,700 unique users who have filed reports, 93% are female with many being victims of domestic violence.

The service has also been used to disrupt criminal activity, such as the use and possession of illicit mobile phones by prisoners from behind bars. A recent case saw a prisoner’s sentence extended by 30 months, as a result of intelligence submitted via the online portal.

Crucially, the scheme allows domestic violence charities and other support services to file reports on behalf of the victims, saving them from having to think about their abuser.

The introduction of the domestic abuse tagging pilot is part of the government’s wider monitoring programme which was extended in 2021 to include two world-first projects, tagging thieves, burglars and robbers using location data to pin them to the scenes of further crimes and imposing alcohol monitoring tags on offenders post-custody.

Should an individual breach their licence conditions, such as entering an exclusion zone or breaching a curfew, then the offender faces going back behind bars.

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs, says:

I welcome announcements from government today to tackle perpetrators of domestic abuse. The domestic abuse electronic tags pilot is a positive step forwards in protecting victims.

By blocking perpetrators from contacting victims, the Unwanted Prisoner Contact scheme sets an important standard that the criminal justice system will not be used to further domestic abuse, making a difference for survivor’s safety, recovery, and freedom from abuse.

For too long, the onus has been on victims of domestic abuse to protect themselves from harm. I will continue to work with government to ensure a whole suite of measures is in place to protect victims and prevent domestic abuse, including improving probation practice and the use of evidence-based perpetrator interventions.

Valerie Wise, National Domestic Abuse Lead at the charity Victim Support said:

Unwanted contact from offenders is frightening and stressful – it is often used to intimidate survivors and continue campaigns of abuse.

Early indications that survivors are making use of this service is positive news. We hope it will continue to make it easier and quicker to stop this behaviour, so that survivors can move on and rebuild their lives.

These measures build on the government’s intention to end violence against women and girls, building on the landmark Domestic Abuse Act which introduced a range of measures to protect victims. This includes the introduction of new offences for non-fatal strangulation and image-based abuse and banning the cross-examination by abusers in the family courts.

The government has also quadrupled funding for victim services and recruiting hundreds more Independent Domestic Violence Advisers.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 30 August 2023.

Cowardly criminals who try to evade the final moment of justice will be ordered into the dock to attend their sentencing – and will face longer behind bars if they refuse to appear.

The reforms announced today (Wednesday 30 August) will create a new power for judges to order an offender to attend their hearings and make it clear – in law – that force can be used to make sure this happens.

The power of custody officers to use reasonable force to make criminals appear in the dock or via video link will also be enshrined in law, meaning every effort will be made for victims and their families to see justice delivered.

If a criminal continues to resist attending their sentencing despite a judge’s order, they will face an extra 2 years behind bars. This new penalty will apply in cases where the maximum sentence is life imprisonment, including serious sexual or violent crimes like murder, rape, and grievous bodily harm with intent.

The change will mean victims can look offenders in the eye and tell them of the devastating consequences of their crime as they read out their impact statement, rather than addressing an empty dock.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

It is unacceptable that some of the country’s most horrendous criminals have refused to face their victims in court. They cannot and should not be allowed to take the coward’s way out.

That’s why we are giving judges the power to order vile offenders to attend their sentencing hearings, with those who refuse facing being forced into the dock or spending longer behind bars.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC, said:

Every time a cowardly criminal hides from justice by refusing to appear in the dock for their sentencing it is another insult to their victims and their families.

Our reforms will give judges the power to order offenders to come to court to hear the impact of their crimes directly from victims, so that they begin their sentences with society’s condemnation ringing in their ears.

The change in the law follows the tireless campaigning of Farah Naz and Cheryl Korbel, alongside others like Ayse Hussein and Jebina Islam all of whom were denied the opportunity to see their loved ones’ killers face justice.

In August last year, Thomas Cashman shot dead 9-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, the daughter of Cheryl Korbel, in her own home and callously chose not to hear the impact her death had on her family at his sentencing.

In June the same year, Jordan McSweeney sexually assaulted and murdered Zara Aleena but decided he could not bear to listen to the details of his crime being repeated in court.

Judges will have the discretion to use these new powers as they see fit to ensure justice is done. This could include not ordering offenders to attend in cases where it is expected that they will cause significant disruption which would distress victims and their families.

Legislation to introduce these changes will be set out in due course.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 25 August 2023.

GRECO (Group of States Against Corruption) publishes second 5th round compliance report for the UK.

GRECO, The Council of Europe’s Anti-Corruption Body, has published its second 5th Round Compliance Report on the UK. The report was adopted by GRECO Plenary in June 2023.

The report assesses implementation of the recommendations issued in GRECO’s 2017 Evaluation of the United Kingdom GRECO: UK 5th round evaluation report published – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), focused on prevention of corruption amongst Top Executive Functions of Government and Law Enforcement Agencies in the UK. Within Law Enforcement, the evaluation focused on the Metropolitan Police and National Crime Agency.

The report concludes that the UK has satisfactorily implemented 7 of GRECO’s 12 recommendations and partly implemented four recommendations.

The UK now has until 30 June 2024 to show progress in respect of the remaining recommendations.

HM Government is committed to fighting against corruption and supporting the work of GRECO; we will provide an update to GRECO ahead of its June 2024 deadline.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 25 August 2023.

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice has approved the appointments of Dalwardin Babu OBE and Steven Cox as members of the Cafcass Board for 4 years from 1 September 2023.

The Rt Hon Alex Chalk MP – Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice – has appointed Dalwardin Babu OBE and Steven Cox as members of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) Board for terms of 4 years from 1 September 2023.

Cafcass is the statutory body that safeguards and promotes the welfare of children in Family Court proceedings. Board appointments are made by the Secretary of State under The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service Regulations 2005. Appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and recruitment processes comply with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Biographies

Dalwardin Babu OBE is a member of the Parole Board, a Non Executive Director for the NHS and a community development officer for St Francis de Sales Federation of schools in Tottenham, and Designated Safeguarding Lead for Middlesex County Cricket Club. He is an adviser to the Mayor of London on Equality and Diversity. When a police superintendent he was Deputy Chair of the Children’s Safeguarding Board in Tower Hamlets. He is a regular contributor on BBC Radio 4/5 and BBC/ITV News on a wide range of policing and community issues.

Dalwardin has not declared any political activity.

Steven Cox is an independent consultant, working with clients on their corporate strategies, including how they can embed a strategic approach to equity, workplace inclusion and workforce diversity, as well as leadership development and executive coaching.

The majority of Steven’s career has been in the private sector enabling organisational improvement through the delivery of mission critical transformational technology services to Central Government Departments, non-Departmental bodies, Agencies and other public sector bodies. Steven has held several other advisory roles to private and third-sector organisations.

Steven has not declared any political activity.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 24 August 2023.

Inquiry will cover actions of police, prosecutors and appeals review body.

Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk and Attorney General Victoria Prentis have ordered an independent inquiry into the circumstances and handling of Andrew Malkinson’s case after his conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal last month.

The inquiry will investigate the handling and the role of Greater Manchester Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Criminal Cases Review Commission in his conviction and subsequent appeals to ensure lessons are learned from the significant miscarriage of justice he has suffered.

It will be led by a senior legal figure and the Criminal Cases Review Commission, Crown Prosecution Service and Greater Manchester Police have all today pledged their full co-operation.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk said:

Andrew Malkinson suffered an atrocious miscarriage of justice and he deserves thorough and honest answers as to how and why it took so long to uncover.

The core function of our justice system is to convict the guilty and ensure the innocent walk free. Yet a man spent 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit while a rapist remained on the loose. It is essential that lessons are learned in full.

Greater Manchester Police’s Chief Constable Stephen Watson said:

I am very sorry that Mr Malkinson has suffered so grievously over these past many years. I acknowledge and regret the very difficult and prolonged journey that Mr Malkinson has had to undertake to prove his innocence. This appalling miscarriage of justice merits the most detailed scrutiny.

I therefore welcome the opportunity that this independent inquiry represents to examine all of the relevant facts in forensic detail. GMP’s participation in this process will be fulsome and reflective of integrity, candour and humility.

Max Hill KC, Director of Public Prosecutions, said:

We welcome and will co-operate fully with the inquiry into the role of all parties in the Andrew Malkinson miscarriage of justice. As well as supporting the inquiry, the CPS is fully committed to supporting the fresh investigation and bringing the right offender to justice.

Helen Pitcher OBE, chairman of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, said:

To understand what went wrong in this appalling miscarriage of justice, every organisation involved in handling the case has to fully embrace this whole-system review quite rightly commissioned by the Lord Chancellor.

We must all contribute fully and engage promptly – and with a commitment to implement any recommendations it draws.

This cross-organisational review will complement the additional review being led by Chris Henley KC specifically into the CCRC’s handling of Andrew Malkinson’s applications. We always learn lessons from investigations to help with our future work, and due to the nature of this case it’s right that such an exercise is carried out by an independent KC alongside this broader review.

Attorney General Victoria Prentis said:

An independent inquiry cannot give Andrew Malkinson 17 years of freedom back. It can provide the accountability he is owed by the criminal justice system and give all of us the reassurance that we learn the lessons from a tragic miscarriage of justice.

After careful consideration, and consultation with other bodies, a non-statutory inquiry was found to be the most appropriate option, building on the approach taken in other individual cases.

It will work alongside the independent Law Commission review into how the wider appeals process – including the CCRC – is operating, to ensure it is working effectively.

A chair will be appointed and a Terms of Reference published in due course. The scope will take account of any other potential future investigations to avoid duplication and ensure that conclusions can be drawn as swiftly as possible. The inquiry will ensure Mr Malkinson’s views and experiences are heard throughout the process and this will be reflected in the Terms of Reference.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 11 August 2023.

The Crown Court will work at maximum capacity for the third year running to reduce waiting times to deliver access to justice, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has today (11 August 2023) announced.

The decision to continue not to cap judicial ‘sitting days’ will mean the Crown Court can hear the highest possible number of criminal cases this year.

Court buildings across the country will also benefit from £220 million for essential modernisation and repair work across the next 2 years, meaning annual investment will increase to £120 million by March 2025 – to minimise disruptions caused by old buildings.

These improvements will maintain the heritage of the estate while ensuring it is equipped with the latest technology to deliver modern justice, as well as improving accessibility for all court users.

The government is also extending a separate capacity boost first announced in December to allow the Immigration and Asylum Tribunals to work through asylum appeals as quickly as possible and remove unnecessary delays while cases are considered.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk, said:

This government knows victims want to see justice served as quickly as possible and so we are making sure Crown Court judges can hear as many cases as possible this year.

We have a world leading justice system and a legal sector that is a cornerstone of our economy, and we should have modern, fit for the future court buildings that reflect these high standards.

The Crown Court worked for more than 100,000 sitting days across the country last year after the caps in place before the pandemic were removed.

It heard cases for more than 98,500 days in 2021/22 after the Ministry of Justice first lifted the cap, compared to around 82,000 in 2019/20.

In May and June this year, criminal courts dealt with thousands more cases compared to previous months as judges, court staff and those across the legal profession worked to tackle the outstanding caseload.

Over 10,000 days were sat in March alone – the most days in a single month since July 2015.

The government has made £220 million available over the two years to March 2025 to improve court and tribunal buildings.

This additional funding has been agreed by the government, the Lord Chief Justice and Senior President of Tribunals to ensure professional and public court users have the modern and accessible buildings needed to deliver justice.

The improvements to the court estate will ensure those on the front line of the justice system will benefit from modern energy efficient heating and cooling systems to projects that will make our buildings accessible and sustainable.

The announcement builds on the 24 Nightingale courtrooms – opened as temporary spaces to boost capacity following the pandemic – that have remained open in 2023.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 6 August 2023.

Wrongly convicted people will no longer face having “saved living costs” deducted from compensation payments following an update to guidance made today (Sunday 6 August).

Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk has taken decisive action to inject greater fairness into how payout decisions for miscarriages of justice are made, ending the possibility that people can be ‘charged’ for saved living costs.

This element of the guidance was added in 2006 and will be removed with immediate effect, applying to all future payments made under the miscarriage of justice compensation scheme.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC, said:

Fairness is a core pillar of our justice system and it is not right that victims of devastating miscarriages of justice can have deductions made for saved living expenses.

This common sense change will ensure victims do not face paying twice for crimes they did not commit.

The miscarriage of justice compensation scheme is designed to help individuals restart and rebuild their lives. It is just one route in which an individual can receive compensation for a wrongful conviction, with other options including suing public bodies.

In order to be eligible for a payment under the scheme individuals must:

• Apply within 2 years of being pardoned or having their conviction reversed as a result of a newly discovered fact
• Have had their conviction reversed on the basis of a new fact which demonstrates beyond reasonable doubt they did not commit the offence
• Not be responsible for the non-disclosure of the new fact

Once eligible, the level of compensation is decided by an independent assessor. An award of compensation will normally fall into 2 parts:

• Compensation for the impact of the wrongful conviction on an individual, including damage to their reputation or to their physical or mental health, loss of freedom and inconvenience
• Loss of past or future earnings, expenses or legal costs resulting from their time in custody

Under previous guidance, the independent assessor could make a deduction from loss of past earnings based on “saved living expenses” such as rent or mortgage payments which were not incurred during their time in prison.

The maximum amount of compensation payable under the miscarriage of justice system is £1 million for 10 or more years imprisonment or £500,000 for up to 10 years.