Our annual reports provide a broad overview of our progress over the year, and include a breakdown of our annual accounts. If you’re interested in a more detailed view of our work, take a look at our insights page.
In the year ending March 2023 Transform Justice continued to publish evidence and research to influence policy makers and practitioners to create a fairer, more compassionate and open justice system in England and Wales. With the aim of educating people about the justice system, we commissioned a new website and started producing a podcast on justice issues.
In the year ending March 2022 Transform Justice advocated on a number of issues, focussing particularly on barriers to access to justice and on supporting statutory authorities to take a less punitive approach to minor crimes. Major highlights were a conference on reducing the remand of children in London in September 2021, the publication of research on justice during the pandemic in partnership with the Magistrates’ Association (March 2022) and the relaunch of the FairChecks campaign in February 2022.
This year was profoundly affected by the pandemic, with two full lockdowns and the remainder of the period subject to social distancing restrictions. Compared to many organisations, fewer of our daily activities were curtailed, but there were still significant changes. All our external meetings shifted to online, and it was harder to engage with some key stakeholders. Transform Justice adapted through becoming skilled in holding online meetings and events. Many of these events attracted a bigger audience than they might have done pre-pandemic.
Throughout 2019/2020, Transform Justice continued work on a project aimed at training voluntary sector organisations to improve their communications through using reframing techniques. Transform Justice partnered with the charity Unlock to launch FairChecks, a movement for change in and reform of criminal records disclosure law. The movement was launched in January using social media and quickly built up support. Further work focused on other aspects of the justice system (the magistracy, digital courts, use of custody, and remand).
Transform Justice published two reports in 2018/19. The reports were widely disseminated, covered in the media and quoted. Transform Justice also published 51 blog posts on aspects of the justice system (sentencing, diversity in the judiciary, digital justice, access to justice) and human rights issues such as the over-use of pre-trial detention. Transform Justice started a new programme to support criminal justice sector charities to communicate more effectively.
Transform Justice published four reports in 2017/18. Transform Justice also published a short briefing on court closures in February 2018. All the reports were widely disseminated, covered in the media and quoted. Transform Justice has a popular presence on twitter and on linkedin and publishes a weekly blog discussing aspects of the justice system (the over-use of pre-trial detention, sentence inflation, the threat to access to justice posed by court closures and digital justice) and raising awareness of human rights issues such as defendants’ access to legal advice.