The Scottish government set up a review of criminal justice following the decision inCadder v HMA in October 2010, which held that suspects detained in police custody should be afforded access to legal advice and assistance, otherwise use of interview evidence in the course of a prosecution could breach their right to a fair trial. […]

Government Review of the Public Sector Equality Duty The Public Sector Equality Duty (‘PSED’) – in s149 Equality Act 2010 – requires all public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. This general duty replaced specific positive duties imposed in connection with race, gender […]

Following a series of high profile prosecutions in connection with the prosecution of offences committed online, in December, the Crown Prosecution Service published Interim Guidelines on the prosecution of offences committed through social media services. JUSTICE welcomes the Interim Guidelines as “timely, if not overdue”.  We raise a number of concerns about the clarity of the […]

The Scottish Government as part of its current review of criminal procedure has identified that in Scottish police stations the information available for suspects is inadequate. The EU directive on the right to information comes into force next year and requires all member states of the EU to produce a letter of rights. We welcome […]

On 13 December 2012, the Ministry of Justice published Judicial Review: proposals for reform (CP25/2012) for consultation. Its publication followed statements in late November by the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Justice to the effect that judicial review – particularly in connection with planning decisions – was ripe for reform to deal […]

This brief document is designed to supplement our first response to the Commission’s earlier consultation. In summary, JUSTICE considers that: Fundamental rights and liberties must be protected and respected by each of the institutions of Government in the UK. Individuals should have a right to an effective remedy in our domestic courts for violation of those rights and, in practice […]

Surveillance is a necessary activity in the fight against serious crime.  When targeted, it can play a vital part in our national security.  Unnecessary and excessive surveillance, however, destroys our privacy and blights our liberty. The Draft Bill builds on the existing – and inadequate – regulatory provisions in Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 […]

On 27 March 2012, the Ministry of Justice published a consultation on community sentencing entitled Punishment and Reform: Effective Community Sentences (Cm 8334). The consultation seeks views on a set of proposed reforms to the way sentences served in the community operate in England and Wales. Whilst the consultation looks at how restorative justice can […]

Together with other respected international and domestic NGOs, JUSTICE today urges diplomats heading to Brighton for negotiations on the future of the European Court of Human Rights to resist calls by the UK for amendment of the European Convention. The real focus of the conference must be the need for States across Europe to improve […]

The Consultation paper recognises JUSTICE’s previous work recommending reform of Section 5, Public Order Act 1986 (“POA”). In our response to the previous consultation on this issue in 2009, we called for broad reform of Section 5 and indicated that the removal of the “insulting” element of the offence should be at a minimum accompanied […]