In March 2017, JUSTICE responded to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation on reform of the funding scheme which pays advocates to defend clients in the Crown Court. The manner in which defence advocates are remunerated for cases involving mentally vulnerable defendants comes within the work of our Working Party on Mental Health and Fair Trial. […]
Apply for the JUSTICE Spring externship programme
February 28, 2017
JUSTICE invites applications for our Spring 2017 externship programme. This is an unpaid remote-working internship, lasting up to 6 weeks with a total commitment of 10 – 15 hours. The successful applicants will work remotely on a research project looking at digitising the existing court and tribunal model in the UK and will be supervised […]
JUSTICE response: Joint Committee on Human Rights’ inquiry into mental health and deaths in prison
In February 2017, JUSTICE responded to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ call for written submissions to its inquiry into mental health and deaths in prison, which was launched in order to establish whether a human rights-based approach can lead to better prevention of deaths in prison of people with mental health conditions. Our response […]
Call for nominations: Immigration and Asylum Determination Reform Working Party
February 21, 2017
JUSTICE is inviting members to apply to join our working party on Immigration and Asylum Determination Reform. The Working Party will look at the determination processes in immigration and asylum cases and how these might be reformed in line with the Government’s Reform Programme. We are looking for immigration and asylum practitioners, academics, user representatives, […]
JUSTICE joins calls for a moratorium on prison construction
January 27, 2017
JUSTICE Legal Director, Jodie Blackstock, is one of several signatories to an open letter, published by the Guardian on 26 January 2017. It calls for an immediate moratorium on prison construction in the UK and a national debate about how to build a safer society and secure communities. The letter reads: Wednesday’s opposition day debate […]
Supreme Court rules torture and rendition claims against UK government should proceed
January 17, 2017
Leading human rights organisations have hailed a landmark decision of the UK Supreme Court to hold the UK Government accountable for its role in human rights abuses overseas. The country’s highest court issued today a long-awaited judgment in the two joined appeals in Belhaj and Others v. Jack Straw & Others and Rahmatullah v. Ministry of […]
Lord Advocate: The reconciliation of rights between victims and the accused must remain dynamic
December 20, 2016
JUSTICE Student Network member Lidia Dancu gives her account of the Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC’s Human Rights Day lecture in Scotland. JUSTICE marked Human Rights Day 2016 with a lecture on fundamental rights and the prosecution of crime, held at the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh, Scotland. The lecture, held on Friday 9 December […]
The human rights implications of Brexit on EU migration
On Thursday 8 December 2016 at The Lighthouse in Glasgow, four eminent lawyers and academics with varying knowledge and perceptions of Brexit presented their views on one of the most constitutionally significant events in British history. Organised in partnership with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and chaired by Sarah Smith, BBC Scotland Editor, the […]
James Wolffe QC stresses need to respect the dignity and rights of all
December 14, 2016
Lord Advocate, James Wolffe, QC gave the 2016 JUSTICE Human Rights Day Lecture on Friday 9 December. He emphasised the need to respect the dignity and rights of all people within the criminal justice system, whether victim, witness or accused. Mr Wolffe’s first speech since he was appointed Lord Advocate in June took place at […]
JUSTICE response: Modernising judicial terms and conditions
November 30, 2016
JUSTICE has responded to the UK Government’s proposals to modernise judicial terms and conditions. While JUSTICE supports the introduction of a single non-renewable fixed term for Recorders and Deputy High Court Judges, we argue that it will not solve our judiciary’s pressing diversity crisis alone. The Government’s proposals should sit alongside more wide-ranging reforms to […]