About
A free weekly collection of criminal law links - for practitioners, law students, and anyone with an interest in the criminal justice system of England and Wales.
Curated by Sam Willis, a barrister at 5 King's Bench Walk.
News
'Justice minister defends legal aid timetable'
The government has defended its timetable over legal aid reforms as the threat of strike action by the criminal bar looms. Following publication of the criminal legal aid review in December, which recommended an extra £135m a year to nurse the system back to health, lord chancellor Dominic Raab promised to respond to Sir Christopher Bellamy’s recommendations by the end of March.
However, the timetable was deemed unreasonable by hundreds of criminal barristers, who signalled their willingness to take direct action, including no returns, if the government fails to undertake by Valentine’s Day to expedite its response. Writing in the Gazette today, justice minister James Cartlidge said he understood the desire for government to publish its response quickly – but said it was important that the government takes its time to get the proposals right...
'Campaign seeks to recruit 4,000 lay magistrates in England and Wales'
Adults in England and Wales are being encouraged to apply online via “a revised, streamlined recruitment process” to become a lay magistrate, in an effort to tackle a backlog of criminal cases caused by the pandemic. A week after announcing plans to double the maximum sentence that magistrates can pass to a year, Dominic Raab, the justice secretary, said the judiciary would recruit another 4,000. It will be the largest recruitment effort in the 650-year history of the magistracy, the Ministry of Justice said.
Courts in England and Wales have been struggling to clear a backlog of cases. As of November, 372,000 cases were outstanding in the magistrates courts and a further 58,728 in the crown court system. The number of magistrates has plummeted in the past decade, from 25,170 in 2012 to 12,651, according to the most recent figures last year.
'CPS to review guidance on using drill music as evidence'
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is updating its guidance on the use of drill music as evidence in criminal trials. It follows concerns from defence lawyers and academics who believe it can stop defendants - often young black men - getting a fair trial. The CPS said it was not aware of any cases where drill music had been wrongly used as evidence in the past. However it said it was listening to the concerns of various people and groups. These include academics, barristers, civil liberties groups, and a youth group in Nottingham - The Pythian Club - who have all taken part in a "listening exercise" with the CPS.
Other
'Life at the Young Bar report'
Report by Careers Research & Advisory Centre (CRAC), commissioned by the Bar Council. In the Life at the Young Bar report, we present a snapshot of life at the Young Bar in 2021. The research within this report considers the demographics of the Young Bar, and what this means in terms of access to justice and the profession in the coming years. It explores differences by practice area, and what this might suggest in terms of targeted action and support. It captures the experience and views of young barristers on life at the Bar, aspirations for their future, career development and their wellbeing, and what this means in terms of how we as a profession need to modernise the way we practise. And, given the timing of this research, it provides a useful insight into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on new practitioners and pupils, and what we can learn from this.
'Criminal legal aid response is too important to rush' - James Cartlidge MP
As the government prepares its response to the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid, we recognise this huge opportunity to make positive, lasting change to the criminal justice system - improving it for practitioners, victims and all who use it. But with such wide-ranging reform, I do believe it’s important that we take the time to get these proposals right...