Tag: Ministry of Justice

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 31 August 2022.

The Lord Chancellor has announced the reappointment of Diana Fawcett as a non-judicial member of the Sentencing Council for a second tenure of 18 months.

The Lord Chancellor in consultation with the Lord Chief Justice, has announced the reappointment of Diana Fawcett as a non-judicial member of the Sentencing Council with specific responsibility for promoting the welfare of victims of crime, for a second tenure of 18 months The re-appointment commenced on 5 April 2022 and will run until 4 October 2023.

The SC was established by Section 118(1) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (“the Act”) to promote greater transparency and consistency in sentencing whilst maintaining the independence of the judiciary. The SC’s responsibilities include: developing sentencing guidelines and monitoring their use; assessing the impact of guidelines on sentencing practice; promoting the understanding of and increasing public confidence in sentencing and the criminal justice system.

Appointments and re-appointments are made by the Lord Chancellor, in consultation with the Lord Chief Justice, and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. This reappointment has been made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Diana Fawcett

Diana was first appointed to the Sentencing Council on 5 April 2019 for a period of three years. Diana was appointed as Director of Operations of the charity Victim Support in February 2015 becoming Chief Executive in January 2018.

Prior to Victim Support, Diana was Director of Operations at Shelter for seven years where she was responsible for the charity’s advice and support services. She has also worked for four London boroughs and three housing associations, managing a range of housing, development and care services. She has been a trustee of Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network a charity providing advice and support to refugees since 2014 and was chair between 2015-21.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 30 August 2022.

The Lord Chancellor has appointed Dr Natalie Byrom, Kate Pasfield, John Sorabji, and James Walker as members of the Civil Justice Council for three years from 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2025.

The CJC is a statutory advisory body established by the Civil Procedure Act 97.

The CJC brings together members of the judiciary, civil servants, legal professionals and others representative of the varied perspectives, sectoral interests, specialist and professional expertise found across the civil justice system.

The CJC has a statutory role in keeping the civil justice system under review. It advises the judiciary, government, and rule makers on the development of the civil justice system, especially how it can be more accessible, fair and efficient. It is empowered to make proposals for change and propose and undertake research.

Biographies:

Dr Natalie Byrom – Information Architecture and Econometrics CJC Member

Dr Natalie Byrom is Director of Research at The Legal Education Foundation and founding Director of their Justice Lab initiative. She sits on the Administrative Justice Council as a member of the steering group and is data advisor to the President of the Family Division’s Transparency Implementation Group. Between 2018 and 2020 she served as an Expert Advisor on Open Data to Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service, where she made a series of recommendations to improve data collection, architecture and governance in the context of the ongoing programme of digital court reform.

Kate Pasfield – Other areas of expertise relevant to civil justice CJC Member

Kate Pasfield is Director of Legal Aid Policy and Member Services for the Legal Aid Practitioners Group. She previously spent 17 years in private practice and the not-for-profit sector as a legal aid solicitor specialising in housing and community care work.

John Sorabji – Barrister Role CJC Member

Dr John Sorabji is a barrister at Nine St John Street Chambers and an associate professor within the law faculty at University College London (UCL). In 2021 he was appointed Legal Adviser to the Independent Review of the Human Rights Act. He has previously advised the Lord Chief Justice, Master of the Rolls and other senior members of the judiciary on various legal and constitutional matters. He is General Editor of The White Book.

James Walker – Small and medium size enterprises (SME) CJC Member

James Walker is Chief Executive of Rightly, an organisation which helps consumers manage and own their data footprint. He is also the founder and Chief Executive of JamDoughnut, an an App that assists consumers to save money. James is also a Non-Executive of Consumer Scotland. He is a Non-Executive Director advising the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman and the Collaboration Network and sits on the Consumer Panels for the Office of Road and Rail and the Civil Aviation Authority. He formally founded and grew Resolver, a free consumer tool to assist consumers in resolving complaints and disputes and built an online dispute resolution platform.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 25 August 2022.

The competition will run from today (25 August) until 19 September with the successful candidate taking on the role in the following months.

It comes as the Government embarks on landmark reforms for victims, including new legislation to ensure they are better heard, served and supported by the criminal justice system. The role of the Commissioner will be crucial in delivering this – promoting the interests of victims and witnesses and ensuring all parts of the criminal justice system meet the standards set out in the Victims’ Code.

The Government is investing nearly half a billion to provide the swift justice that victims deserve, and progress continues on the Rape Action Plan in order to increase the volume of prosecutions flowing through the system.

Dame Vera Baird has agreed to continue in post until 30 September, with an option to extend until the end of the year and has been invited to reapply.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 9 August 2022.

Prisoners are to be upskilled in cutting-edge farming techniques as the government continues to get offenders into work and cut crime.

The scheme, being run at HMP Hewell in Worcestershire, is part of a landmark trial between the prison and farming technology company, LettUsGrow, that will see prisoners grow leafy greens, salad and herbs in high-tech ‘vertical’ farms.

Vegetables are grown in compact towers using aeroponics using an air or mist environment rather than soil.

At the forefront of farming, this advanced technology produces more plants, more quickly and with 98 percent less water than conventional methods.

Most importantly, the scheme will train prisoners up in the jobs of the future, such as farm management software, plant science and food safety. This will help them find a job on release in new and emerging technologies and dramatically reduce their chances of reoffending.

This is just the latest move in the government’s strategy to make sure prisoners use their time behind bars to get the skills they need to find work once through the gate and back home.

Prisons Minister Stuart Andrew MP:

“This innovative scheme is just the tip of the iceberg in our drive to equip prisoners with the practical skills they need to get a job on release – ultimately cutting crime and keeping the public safe.

Up there with education, family ties and addiction treatment, stable work holds the key to a life free from crime and safer communities for us all.”

Ralph Lubowski, Governor of HMP Hewell:

“I am delighted to partner with Lettus Grow in this fantastic initiative, which will give our prisoners the opportunity, confidence and training to turn their lives around.

Vertical farming is an innovative, emerging industry and this partnership highlights our commitment to ensuring that prisoners are skilled up to find work on release.

The latest figures show the number of former offenders in work six weeks after release has increased by nearly half, whereas proven reoffending has fallen to just over 25 percent – making huge progress in tackling the £18 billion cost of repeat offending and keeping the public safe.”

Notes to editors

The latest statistics from the Ministry of Justice show that the proportion of persons released from custody who were employed at 6 weeks from their release rose by 6 percentage points to 16 per cent between April 2021 and March 2021. This is an increase of more than half (57 per cent).

New data shows that over the last 10 years, proven reoffending has decreased from 30.9 percent (2009/10) to 25.6 percent (2019/20).
The Prisons White Paper – the Deputy Prime Minister’s strategy to reduce reoffending and keep the public safe – puts a laser-sharp focus in getting prisoners into work both behind bars and on release.
Learn more about LettUsGrow here