Deferred prosecution is a slight misnomer since the idea of the programme is never to… Read more

Just before Christmas news leaked out that the government was getting cold feet about decriminalising… Read more

It’s too easy to make policy based on assumptions. We all have beliefs we don’t… Read more

Transform Justice has published a new report on the Sentencing Council and criminal justice: leading… Read more

The Video Enabled Justice report is here . It was authored by Professor Nigel Fielding,… Read more

It is tempting to think that the only way to stop individuals committing crime is… Read more

It is hard to think there might be any silver lining to the pandemic. Particularly… Read more

This week’s guest blog is from an anonymous district judge who sits in civil and… Read more

“We must never forget that to commit crime is to make a choice. There is,… Read more

Sometimes I wish I was not so long in the tooth. Eight years ago I… Read more

If we really value effective participation in justice should we pause remote hearings involving real… Read more

Once the diversity of the judiciary, or rather the lack of it, made national news…. Read more

The sentencing white paper – actually called “A Smarter Approach to Sentencing” is a curious… Read more

The digital court reform programme was trundling along relatively slowly before the pandemic. Discrete jurisdictions… Read more

“I feel like all this could have been avoided,” said Jada, the mother of murdered… Read more

Recently Boris Johnson described zoom calls as a miracle, but that sometimes there is “no… Read more

A lot of policy and guidance is never followed, nor its ignoring challenged. During the… Read more

The EHRC report is here (the interim report is the one particular focussed on virtual)… Read more

This week the government said that they would like the police (or rather the CPS)… Read more

This week the Prime Minister, who often bats off issues, supported a surprising reform. At… Read more

Its easy to dismiss the #defund the police movement. But the more I think about… Read more

Should we defund the police? The idea took one great leap into the US political… Read more

I have been observing courts in the pandemic. One day at Highbury Magistrates’ Court a… Read more

In the pandemic, legal representatives have been concerned about going into police custody due to… Read more

Today Transform Justice has published a new report on the overuse of police custody

The government is very concerned by the drop in criminal prosecutions and appear to blame… Read more

This week the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland spoke about parliamentary business and the constraints of… Read more

In pre-Covid times the government was trying to get digital court reform going. The PCC… Read more

If the last five years have taught us anything it’s that nothing is permanent. Progress… Read more

The history of video court hearings in this country goes back quite a long way… Read more

Before Boris Johnson went into hospital, he, his staff and his cabinet were meeting via… Read more

In the time of Corona, some stories get buried. In March, the inspectorate of prosecution… Read more

The proponents of digital justice have had a field day since the courts went on… Read more

Transform Justice has been working for the last year on the over-use of police custody… Read more

Should magistrates and judges be hermetically sealed from formal involvement in civic society? People have… Read more

This week in the budget, the government re-iterated its commitment to supporting victims of crime…. Read more

Is the government asking the police to do the impossible? The Home Secretary has funded… Read more

More and more defendants are charged or asked to attend court by post. Most crimes… Read more

Anyone arrested by the police is entitled to free legal advice at and before interview…. Read more

There are very few who criticise the draft domestic abuse bill. But many campaigners will… Read more

Join us on FairChecks

(This is a guest blog from Professor Mike Hough based on academic work completed with… Read more

Peter was 18 in 1982. That year he struck someone when trying to protect a… Read more

“Oooohhh, Sanctioned Detections are back! How very 2010. Now a key performance indicator, again. Patently… Read more

The number of prosecutions by the police has fallen to an all time low. This… Read more

We are here with a new Conservative government which promised to be tough on crime… Read more

Do you see children through the lens of risk, need or potential? Maybe all three?… Read more

Last week the government published a tender for the new probation services contract . The publication was controversial… Read more

“A night in a cell is an intimidating experience. Police custody facilities are designed to… Read more

If you go into any magistrates court you will notice that cases often don’t go… Read more

In its last days, this government announced a review of its policy on pre-charge bail…. Read more

This week Bob Neill MP, Chair of the Justice Committee launched their report on the… Read more

Last year 215,000 people who committed crime in England and Wales were dealt with out… Read more

This week a former judge, Claire Gilham won her case to have her rights as… Read more

When police arrived at the flat of Carrie Symonds in June, having been phoned by… Read more

This week we learned that a new born baby died in Bronzefield Prison on 27th… Read more

The truth is often difficult to pin down and the truth about advocacy is indeed… Read more

Boris Johnson is not a fan of our criminal justice system. In his efforts to… Read more

What price local justice? Unfortunately no one has been able to identify and quantify the… Read more

It can be hard for someone who has never been charged to understand how someone… Read more

Everyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to be informed promptly, in a… Read more

“Beyond reasonable doubt” is a high hurdle for criminal convictions. It needs to be high… Read more

“The whole thing feels arbitrary. It doesn’t feel like you have a choice. You might… Read more

This is a guest blog by Jonathan Black which appears as the afterword to our… Read more

“Journalists are only interested in case studies”, “people who have lived experience are the most… Read more

Does judicial diversity still matter? The process of selecting candidates to be “leadership magistrates” suggests… Read more

Only two in five of those who are remanded (detained post charge) by police go… Read more

In the UK, we have traditionally prided ourselves on a fair justice system, and compared… Read more

I frequently feel like Cassandra who was cursed to utter prophecies that were true but… Read more

“And my last post tonight about police station advice – I have no example in… Read more

Anything which helps those who commit crimes change their behaviour has to be a good… Read more

It may have passed you by, but on December 21st last year a new criminal justice… Read more

I do not find the role of Cassandra particularly pleasant but every time there’s new criticism… Read more

Normal government convention seems to have gone out of the window. In the old days… Read more

Anti-social behaviour never seems to hit the headlines any more. Even the recent news that… Read more

In the UK our prison population doubled in twenty years and became the highest in… Read more

When lawyers have previously expressed their concerns about the confidentiality of video links, I’ve not… Read more

People who follow this blog know that I am slightly obsessed by the difference between… Read more

The Chief Inspector of Probation this week expressed clearly what everyone involved thinks – that… Read more

Do people want to do justice online? The government says they do and, in some… Read more

Say the words multi-agency, holistic and early intervention and most people’s eyes glaze over. Unfortunately… Read more

“Don’t you believe in anything?” “Yes”, Isaac Asimov said. “I believe in evidence. I believe… Read more

Magistrates can be difficult to control. They are volunteers in the justice system, who have… Read more

Magistrates can be difficult to control. They are volunteers in the justice system, who have… Read more

This week three senior salaried judges and the Minister Lucy Fraser were quizzed by the… Read more

  Reframing consultancy support Transform Justice is offering pro bono communications coaching and support to… Read more

The other day the senior judiciary published the actions they’d agreed as a result of… Read more

“We know that police enforcement alone is not the long-term solution to knife crime. Stop… Read more

Transform Justice is advertising a freelance contract for someone to help criminal justice charities communicate… Read more

Why punish parents whose children don’t go to school? A new report by Rona Epstein,… Read more

  Many of you are preparing to respond to the Justice Committee’s inquiry on courts… Read more

The public are used to consultations which seem to be tick box exercises. Every consultation… Read more

Everyone involved in domestic abuse wants to stop it. But there is huge disagreement about… Read more

Is the short, sharp shock of child remand really necessary? A new report from Transform… Read more

“It really is not reasonable to expect court staff, judges or court users to attend… Read more

“A shambolic day for youth justice at Bromley YC. Still sitting, still waiting for 3… Read more

I must be the bane of the Ministry of Justice with my endless FOIs (freedom… Read more

I thought I’d lost the capacity to be shocked by the current criminal justice system… Read more

Once upon a time there were lots of courts up and down the country and… Read more

Every child death is a tragedy, but a fourteen year old boy shot while standing… Read more

“Oliver wondered what picking the old gentleman’s pocket in play, had to do with his… Read more

The timing of Justice Week was unfortunate given it started with the Chancellor announcing a… Read more

I feel overwhelmed with a cornucopia of information. I regularly submit FOIs to the courts… Read more

When I read the case of Myers (brought to my attention by the anonymous barrister… Read more

  “Mags Ct today in chaos. 2 duty solicitors unable to cope because almost none… Read more

Does artificial intelligence (AI) – the ability of a machine or a computer program to… Read more

I hope the picture painted by inspectors this week of how probation deals with domestic… Read more

“There are a lot of people who get very nervous around domestics because historically it’s… Read more

It is research, but not as we know it. After months of bugging HMCTS to… Read more

Up until recently, judges’ views of the digital court reform programme have been little known… Read more

Why is the government continuing to spend thousands of pounds on programmes aimed at reducing… Read more

There are many strongly held views about what should and shouldn’t be done in cases… Read more

My daughter has started training to be a social worker and her first essay was… Read more

Today’s is a guest blog from Rona Epstein, research fellow at Coventry Law School. For… Read more

“I have had clients who have told me that they cannot afford to travel from… Read more

This week I met someone in their 30s who had applied to become a magistrate…. Read more

I start this blog with some trepidation since the subject – a new report on… Read more

This guest blog is from Professor Mike Hough, one of our greatest criminologists, who has… Read more

A rather confounding survey was published by the Courts Service (HMCTS) this week. It said… Read more

Pamela Attfield was interested in putting in a small claim and so wanted to observe… Read more

Everyone involved in domestic abuse wants to stop it. But there is huge disagreement about… Read more

I am beginning to wonder why the government does any research on justice issues. They… Read more

The judiciary seem exercised by the future of open justice. They are consulting judges and… Read more

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the courts need to become more efficient. Saving… Read more

In 2015 when I was trying (with difficulty) to do research on unrepresented defendants in… Read more

Hallelujah! A government minister is openly saying that short prison sentences are a waste of… Read more

How can it be that vulnerable child defendants have ended up participating in important court… Read more

My children are inner-city twenty-somethings. Two of the most recent London stabbings happened within half… Read more

“Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken” is a great book. It sets out… Read more

On the face of it, the story broken by the BBC today is alarming –… Read more

Imagine being imprisoned on remand in relation to a crime you did not commit on the basis… Read more

One of the reasons for the disclosure problems that have recently come to light is… Read more

If making a tidy sum from the sale of every court were the aim of… Read more

The reputation of aid charities has had a terrible battering recently. They are wounded and… Read more

FTA is the bane of a police officer’s life. If a defendant doesn’t turn up… Read more

How many courts do you need to close before the system grinds to a halt? … Read more

This week some twitter wags pointed out that in having huge technical problems with video… Read more

“The absence of the applicant in the court automatically depersonalises him/her. His/her feelings and emotions… Read more

  “Emotionally, it’s terrible. It’s like they’ve changed so much, they’ve got behavioural problems. They… Read more

I have badgered the Ministry of Justice to do a proper public consultation on their… Read more

Some independent reviews make a huge difference. In 1964 the “Kilbrandon” report was published. Lord… Read more

I had heard through the grapevine that the courts service in England and Wales (HMCTS)… Read more

This is the second Christmas where the Ministry of Justice has slipped out their response… Read more

If crime falls significantly you’d expect the prison population to fall too. That has happened in… Read more

In the old days people would talk of the neighbourhood bobby giving a teenager a… Read more

If my family ties were not down south, I would be tempted to up sticks… Read more

You would never know from what you read in London based newspapers that Scotland had… Read more

This week is a guest “blog” from a serving prisoner who wrote to me about… Read more

It has gone a bit quiet on the online criminal court front. The Queens’ Speech… Read more

I often reflect on how and why change happens. Mostly luck is involved and/or influential… Read more

New report on virtual justice (video courts) published today

Convenience is great when all others things are equal. Making services easy to access is… Read more

The recent twitter discussion of rude judges was disturbing and surprising. Lawyers (particularly on twitter)… Read more

What has Richard Thaler’s Nobel prize got to do with the new Sentencing Council draft… Read more

I tread incredibly warily in this space. Greater minds than mine turned on Andrew Adonis… Read more

“I’ve only had one good experience with video link, and I’ve had lots of experience,… Read more

Our criminal justice system is fiercesomely complicated – so complex that the Law Commission has… Read more

The clarion call to reduce the numbers in prison is being heard. Yesterday the Centre… Read more

The Lammy review is both depressing and uplifting – depressing because it suggests institutional racism… Read more

This week the blog is an extract from Rethinking Judicial Independence, a think piece we… Read more

Who am I to comment on Ministry of Justice sentencing statistics? I am neither a… Read more

Few dare to criticise the Court of Appeal. Lawyers (rightly) fear any criticism may be… Read more

Mostly I retain faith in the humanity of all who work in the criminal justice… Read more

Magistrates used to be almost self-governing. They controlled the budgets of their court, the employment… Read more

This is a guest blog from an experienced magistrate – Benjamyn Damazer – inspired by… Read more

Transform Justice has today published a think-piece on judicial independence – a collection of essays… Read more

This week the Times announced that Peter Herbert QC (Recorder and Tribunal Judge) is suing the Ministry… Read more

How should we deal with young people – they are the most likely to commit… Read more

When a 16 year old is sexually exploited we call them a child, and their… Read more

Learning from failure is good, but not if it takes over twenty years to do… Read more

There is a broad consensus about how to support people on their release from prison…. Read more

I visited Chatham magistrates’ court this week. It’s opposite a busy shopping centre but I… Read more

The electorate has spoken and we have ended up with a minority Conservative government. The… Read more

If you have experience of working with defendants/offenders appearing on video links or are a… Read more

No system gets everything right, however well intentioned those involved. Our system of underfunded courts… Read more

There are many people in prison who insist they are innocent. I’m very concerned about… Read more

Currently anyone who was convicted of shop-lifting twice when they were 12 has to declare… Read more

‘It was me against them. Coming from an Asian Muslim background, I didn’t see anyone… Read more

The suspended sentence has a bad name. It is a sword of Damocles hanging over… Read more

The twittersphere is alive with lawyers indignant that children accused of serious crimes are increasingly… Read more

The judicial discipline system is broken. Part-time judges and magistrates are publicly named and shamed,… Read more

Damned if they do, damned if they don’t. Judges (and social workers) in the family… Read more

I increasingly experience two different criminal justice systems.  One peopled by IT specialists, the police… Read more

I don’t often agree wholeheartedly with the Lord Chancellor, but when it comes to who… Read more

“An eye for an eye” is a strongly held belief – that those who cause… Read more

Transform Justice has published a briefing on the court reform aspects of the Prisons and Courts… Read more

If you are charged with speeding, or driving without insurance, and admit guilt, you can… Read more

Group think is very powerful.  There is group think about why it is difficult to… Read more

The criminal courts charge was a policy fiasco – a charge to be applied to… Read more

I wrote last week that the government were moving hell for leather to implement online… Read more

The government is proceeding hell for leather with online justice both in the civil and… Read more

Only in our mad, mad criminal justice system would you punish someone more severely for… Read more

I spend a lot of time reading accounts of court life on twitter and blogs,… Read more

Andrew Langdon QC, the new Chairman of the Bar, recently said that justice has a… Read more

Magistrates and district judges (DJs) occupy the same court space and do more or less… Read more

When I first found out that magistrates do not find out either that their decisions… Read more

It seems slightly odd that volunteers might face disciplinary action involving public reprimands and harsh… Read more

Occasionally there is a golden opportunity for radical change and it is seized. Unfortunately, the… Read more

Ten years ago there was post-code sentencing for under 18 year olds convicted of serious… Read more

“Once two boys tried to rob me. They were bigger than me, but when I… Read more

It is clear that prisons are full to bursting, and that it would be good… Read more

I risk the wrath of magistrates up and down the land in opposing the extension… Read more

This week the Lord Chief Justice implied that too many people were imprisoned, and that… Read more

The MacPherson report on Stephen Lawrence defined institutional racism as “the collective failure of an… Read more

“In the great prison where I was incarcerated, I was merely the figure and the… Read more

Very few people in this country understand the implications of a criminal conviction until they… Read more

“The system is overstretched and disjointed. About two-thirds of Crown Court trials are delayed or do… Read more

I am a passionate believer in free speech and open justice, but I also believe… Read more

The Justice Committee does not use the word crisis in its new report on the… Read more

The magistracy is in theory a democratic institution: representatives of the people sit in judgement… Read more

This post is really a homage to “One Wheel on my Wagon” from a criminal… Read more

No-one denies that the experience of giving evidence in a criminal trial can be traumatic,… Read more

In this best of possible worlds, everything is for the best This panglossian view of… Read more

A few months ago an inspection report hit the headlines because it revealed that women… Read more

Judge Patricia Lynch certainly crossed a line in a recent case.  A defendant called her… Read more

  Philip Davies MP sparked outrage a few weeks ago when his views on women’s… Read more

  The FrameWorks Institute has just published research, commissioned by Transform Justice (with Clinks, CJA and… Read more

  The criminal justice system in England and Wales costs a lot – at least… Read more

How can anyone judge who is telling the truth now in the case of alleged… Read more

  Dear Liz, Welcome to your new role. You are faced with a number of… Read more

The dreaded criminal courts charge has been abolished, but courts are still left with a… Read more

Ben Butler is an intriguing man.  Someone with a history of violence, he was convicted… Read more

“Sarah” was a magistrate for over fifteen years, and had many years left to serve. … Read more

Our prisons are awash with drugs, as the recent BBC film of Wandsworth prison revealed,… Read more

Shailesh Vara, the minister for courts, told the Justice Committee last Tuesday that the Ministry… Read more

Nearly half the British population supports the death penalty and two thirds agree with the… Read more

The government is making plans to re-launch problem-solving courts.  These are an American invention, with… Read more

The latest twist of the Archers story has highlighted the plight of women in the… Read more

Prison is a dead end, whatever length of time you are there. The courts in… Read more

The decline of the community sentence could be seen to be a good thing.  After… Read more

“I have two convictions. Both happened 38-years ago when I was a juvenile. The first… Read more

Transform Justice has published new research on the experience of unrepresented defendants in the criminal… Read more

Unfortunately we don’t have equality of arms when it comes to unrepresented defendants.  After a… Read more

Its great to read a positive prison inspection report, as the one for Bronzefield was… Read more

“Jarndyce and Jarndyce drones on. This scarecrow of a suit has, in the course of… Read more

Its reassuring in a way to see how concerned magistrates themselves are about deficiencies in… Read more

It is an anomaly in the Western world to have judges with no legal training… Read more

Judges and HMCTS staff seem to have put their faith in digitisation to resolve most… Read more

This week a car driver was acquitted of the charge of dangerous driving. A common… Read more

The latest report from the National Audit Office on efficiency in the criminal courts makes… Read more

Judicial independence is a safeguard of a fair justice system. Judges need to be independent… Read more

It is one of the cardinal principles of our justice system that people are innocent… Read more

Youth justice is my passion, and the reason I remain optimistic about the criminal justice… Read more

When Mr Justice Coulson decided to identify fifteen year old Will Cornick, after sentencing him… Read more

“It is because I am a Conservative that I believe in the rule of law… Read more

Today the Prime Minister said “there’s an industry trying to profit from spurious claims lodged… Read more

Around 100 people are imprisoned in England and Wales every year for non payment of… Read more

This week judges were again under fire for being too soft.  The Sun described judges… Read more

Adults in the UK are more likely to have had experience of a court case,… Read more

England and Wales has one of the most centralised criminal justice systems and one of… Read more

No-one is saying that poor people commit more crime, or even that poverty causes crime…. Read more

The Youth Court is a hidden world, where most child crime cases are heard. The… Read more

Our prison population is too high and predicted to increase.  The main driver is sentence… Read more

New report published today by Transform Justice on whether the innocent should end up bankrupt through getting… Read more

“If someone is dragged through the courts through no fault of their own and is… Read more

Should we know how judges vote?  Jeremy Paxman pointed out in the Financial Times on… Read more

It was reported in the Times today that Michael Gove is considering imposing a “levy”… Read more

It seems clear that the government will reform the criminal court charge but its not… Read more

In most jobs people find it useful to know what the outcome of their work… Read more

The new(ish) Chief Executive of the Courts Service, Natalie Ceeney, is worried about the human… Read more

The Justice Committee wants to know what we think about the criminal courts charge and… Read more

Political parties have vied to produce policies on how to look after victims and witnesses… Read more

One of the problems with our justice system is that it is theoretically open, but… Read more

Magistrates are not representative of the people.  They never have been.  Things were improving in… Read more

There are now many protests about the criminal courts charge – protests that have increased… Read more

No-one wants to publicise bad news. New figures on the number of magistrates show serious… Read more

The announcement of the proposed closure of 91 courts came as little surprise to watchers… Read more

How often do you see magistrates – in plays, the news or in documentaries? I… Read more

It seems clear that a lawyers’ “strike” may be imminent in England and Wales.  Defence… Read more

It was an interesting week for court reform.  The Lord Chancellor pronounced himself shocked by… Read more

The latest HMCTS Annual Report is no bedtime reading but reveals some interesting developments.  The words… Read more

I visited Thames Magistrates Court the other Friday.  For one of the busiest magistrates’ courts,… Read more

I’m concerned that the Ministry of Justice is not making the savings it intended to… Read more

The number of prosecutions has gone down in recent years, but when I talk to… Read more

There was concern when the government proposed that the new anti-social behaviour orders should be… Read more

Its a cliche to say that government works in silos, but true nonetheless.  And those… Read more

The reality of how people get evicted comes alive in a series of brilliant blogs… Read more

Sense about science are worried that politicians don’t always use evidence correctly when talking about… Read more

So much is different in the French criminal justice system from the English, starting with… Read more

The President of the Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger gave a very human speech the other… Read more

There is huge goodwill towards restorative justice, but unfortunately goodwill has not really got it… Read more

The Howard League has recently published an essay on how voluntary sector organisations advocating for… Read more

Is the only answer to the squeeze on legal aid to find more funding for… Read more

The Lord Chancellor has given CRCs a financial incentive to reduce offending under a payment… Read more

I never thought I’d meet a judge like Cristi Danilet.  At an excellent seminar today… Read more

The government’s measures to get more money from the court system affect access to justice… Read more

Victims have long voiced unhappiness about their treatment by the criminal justice system.  Their unhappiness… Read more

The civil courts are bring thrown into chaos by the number of litigants in person… Read more

A fascinating study has been published based on a survey of paid judges at every… Read more

“Committing a crime is always a choice. That’s why the primary, proper response to crime… Read more

The new Leveson report on efficiency in criminal proceedings contains a number of radical ideas.  One… Read more

Lord Beecham has recently asked some key questions about magistrate numbers.  Numbers overall have fallen… Read more

Volunteers are not employees. They are working for an organisation because they want to help…. Read more

Spend on magistrates’ training has gone down from £110 per magistrate in 2008/9, to £26 per… Read more

Judges never do media interviews and never give statements about particular cases.  But should they?… Read more

The Lord Chief Justice cannot criticise government policy so its worth both reading the text… Read more

The way work is shared between lay magistrates and district judges can be a bone… Read more

Danny Kruger presented a great programme for BBC Radio 4 on “Right on Crime”, the… Read more

I’m a big picture person and took my eye off the ball after the government… Read more

For quite a radical report “Judicial diversity: accelerating change” didn’t get much coverage.  It was… Read more

I’m not sure why Simon Hughes wanted to stop magistrates having increased sentencing powers but… Read more

Few think-tanks devote much time to the diminution of local justice.  But Politeia has just… Read more

What has happened to judicial independence and accountability in the last twenty years?  There have… Read more

Lord Justice Ryder is an unusual judge, having started his working life as an investment… Read more

Two recent articles have given a glimpse of the impact of austerity on magistrates’ courts…. Read more

I wouldn’t have known about Ireland’s fantastic new penal policy without twitter – @lukecareypact tweeted… Read more

If you want to become a magistrate, there are very few areas in the country… Read more

Why has one type of specialist court succeeded in England and Wales while others have… Read more

The LibDems have always supported human rights and open justice.  Its a pity that they… Read more

Magistrate numbers are at their lowest level since I’m not sure when.  Judiciary figures for… Read more

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, recently described the Judicial  College as one of the… Read more

On my travels so far, people have distinguished the Federal Justice System from the State… Read more

I met the retired DA (elected public prosecutor) of Portland and enjoyed his take on… Read more

I’m all for giving power to the people, but only if the people are very… Read more

My experience in USA has made me ask why it is so difficult to embed… Read more

There is no doubt in my mind that electing judges is a bad idea.  Most… Read more

I think I’ve been bitten by the specialist court bug and need to pinch myself… Read more

Michigan has way more court-rooms per head of population than England.  Every town of any… Read more

In the short time I’ve been in USA I have seen some amazing judges.  Or… Read more

The imposition of fines is at the cornerstone of both US and English justice.  Fines… Read more

I have never seen so many offenders say thank-you in a court as I did… Read more

The effort involved in getting the Street Outreach court in Detroit off the ground was… Read more

In many states of the  USA, judges are elected by the people.  And in some… Read more

Most children under 18 are seen by the juvenile court in DC.  All court proceedings… Read more

To my shame, I have never visited a mental health court in England.  But I… Read more

This morning in Washington DC I observed a very busy drugs court.  The judge, Gregory… Read more

The West London Drugs Court was set up in 2007, led by a charismatic District… Read more

The symbolism of chains is very strong – for me it evokes slavery and a… Read more

Its easy to get gloomy about mass incarceration in USA.  The numbers are so huge… Read more

Sometimes campaigners can stab each other in the back unwittingly.  In England and Wales, there… Read more

Marc Mauer of the Sentencing Project offered a sobering statistic.  If the prison population of the… Read more

The National Juvenile Defender Center is a brilliant idea – an NGO which campaigns for and… Read more

It’s depressing but also uplifting to hear about the US system of criminal justice.  I’m… Read more

I have arrived in the land of the free only to be depressed about children… Read more

When I was a magistrate,  interpreters were frequent used to aid defendant, witness or both…. Read more

There is low morale on many magistrates’ benches.  This is due to budget cuts, a… Read more

A report came out this week suggesting that the governors of schools do not reflect… Read more

One of the reasons why our prisons are full to bursting is because our sentencing… Read more

The number of people involved in court or tribunal cases who don’t have a lawyer… Read more

Labour has published a policy paper on criminal justice (and other issues) for consultation with… Read more

Dear Lord Chief Justice, Of all your recent public appearances, I most appreciated your appearance… Read more

“I have been a magistrate for 26 years and I’m as enthusiastic as the first… Read more

‘It’s sort of like the community elder. You sit on the bench, and you live… Read more

Damian Green, Minister of State across the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice is… Read more

How punitive is the man on the Clapham omnibus?  It is a subject that divides… Read more

Transform Justice’s new research on the make-up of the magistracy was launched at the end… Read more

When I decided to apply to be a magistrate, my passion was family justice.  I… Read more

Transform Justice’s new report is published today.  Its about the make-up of the magistracy today… Read more

Last week, the government published yet another criminal justice bill.  More change is problematic –… Read more

The most effective means of reducing offending lie outside the remit of the justice system.  … Read more

Transform Justice’s recent report on diversity made no mention of sexual orientation. This was not… Read more

The magistrate recruitment process takes longer than any recruitment process I’ve ever heard of. Two… Read more

Magistrates are less diverse now than in 1999.  They are on average older and less… Read more

If the value of the magistracy is justice by the people for the people, why… Read more

This week peers voted against the government’s new definition of anti-social behaviour – conduct capable… Read more

“Just watched as court sent unrep’d def to prison. He didnt say a word through… Read more

The involvement of G4S and Serco with fraudulent tagging has been well publicised.  The two… Read more

How representative should magistrates be of their community?  A report came out today from Policy… Read more

A fair criminal justice system is one where mistakes can be easily, and fairly painlessly,… Read more

Post riots, the Ministry of Justice announced that they were going to pilot more flexible… Read more

Can justice reinvestment be successful in a very centralised political system?  That was the question… Read more

Many ex-offenders are probably already magistrates.  A huge proportion of the male population has been… Read more

Is this government localist or not?  In the justice sphere they veer every which way…. Read more

Mencap and other charities have been waging a campaign for many years to get crime… Read more

Lord Leveson gave the Howard League lecture this week on consistency in sentencing, particularly citing… Read more

John Fassenfelt, outgoing Chairman of the Magistrates’ Association, has inspired the setting up of an… Read more

Keir Starmer has given a retirement interview to the Times in which he calls for… Read more

A lot of the documents coming out of the Ministry of Justice and the Judicial… Read more

Sadiq Khan, Shadow Justice Minister, addressed the Labour Party Conference this week.  The speech didn’t… Read more

Judges are perhaps the only public servants left who are not subject to any performance… Read more

Courts in England and Wales get a bad press, being seen as inefficient, old fashioned… Read more

I read one of the best books ever on criminal justice on holiday.  A friend… Read more

Why has this government suddenly focused a spotlight on magistrates and their powers?  No-one seems… Read more

In late May the Times revealed that the government was planning to privatise courts administration…. Read more

Crime has fallen significantly yet again by 9/7% depending on which figures you use.  Hooray!… Read more

There will always be some differences between courts in their sentencing.  An Inner London court… Read more

There have been hundreds of people appearing in courts without a lawyer for a long… Read more

A judge was recently reprimanded for telling a cannabis cultivator to “jack-in” drugs. An experienced… Read more

Do women judges make decisions differently to male judges? According to a small scale experiment… Read more

Chris Grayling is the first Lord Chancellor not to be a lawyer (I think). Previously… Read more

I met an MP the other day and asked him whether he supported any kind… Read more

and can be downloaded from our reports page. And the Times has written about moves… Read more

Why does the closure of every library inspire massive public protest while plans to close… Read more