Article Subject:
Judiciary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today Transform Justice is sending two blog posts, one extracted from our new publication, the… 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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