Justice
The Government believes that more needs to be done to ensure fairness in the justice system. This means introducing more effective sentencing policies, as well as overhauling the system of rehabilitation to reduce reoffending and provide greater support and protection for the victims of crime.
- We will introduce a ‘rehabilitation revolution’ that will pay independent providers to reduce reoffending, paid for by the savings this new approach will generate within the criminal justice system.
- We will conduct a full review of sentencing policy to ensure that it is effective in deterring crime, protecting the public, punishing offenders and cutting reoffending. In particular, we will ensure that sentencing for drug use helps offenders come off drugs.
- We will explore alternative forms of secure, treatment-based accommodation for mentally ill and drugs offenders.
- We will implement the Prisoners’ Earnings Act 1996 to allow deductions from the earnings of prisoners in properly paid work to be paid into the Victims’ Fund.
- We will consider how to use proceeds from the Victim Surcharge to deliver up to 15 new rape crisis centres, and give existing rape crisis centres stable, long-term funding.
- We will carry out a fundamental review of Legal Aid to make it work more efficiently.
- We will change the law so that historical convictions for consensual gay sex with over-16s will be treated as spent and will not show up on criminal records checks.
- We will extend anonymity in rape cases to defendants.
- We will introduce effective measures to tackle anti-social behaviour and low-level crime, including forms of restorative justice such as Neighbourhood Justice Panels.
Protect legal aid wherever possible – we must give people access to justice. We must not treat asylum seekers as scapegoats, I am very pleased the
coalition intends to end the detention of children in immigration centres, but worry that asylum seekers will no longer get legal aid and also that they will be deported
to unsafe countries like Iraq and Afghanistan – we must not abuse the rights of these individuals,
We must set an example for others to follow.
Please give those who make false allegations of any type, the same sentence the falsley accused would have faced if found guilty. This will help stop false allegations.
Also when the appeal court quash convictions force the CPS to investigate false allegations on the same basis of the conviction, which usually is the word of one against another.
How can you accuse other countries of poor justice systems when clearly from these comments and my experience yours is in a mess with a considerable number of “innocent” put there by false allegations some dating back 20-30 years when there can be no medical, dna evidence, b ut worse than that NO DEFENCE.
Sort out your own house before casting aspersions on others.
Well Done Phil Faber SAFARI, John Hemming MP, Sally Rowen formerly CCRC, Mark Newby HAAP
I’ve posted in the Crime and policing and Deficit reduction sections regarding drugs:
Crime and policing
“The Misuse of Drugs Act must be reviewed in order to put an end to criminal gangs profiting from the misery of addicts. All drugs need to be treated as a public health issue and not put pressure on the criminal justice system. It has become apparent that prohibition has failed spectacularly and only empowers those that run the black market in drugs. We need a legal framework which allows the supply of drugs through medical professionals and licensed outlets depending on the potential harms and addictive effects of each drug.
This would save money which can help reduce our massive deficit and allow the police and courts to deal with members of society that take property from, and harm others. Would people not prefer more police time to be spent on catching burglars, shoplifters, murderers, rapists and fraudsters rather than on arresting someone for possession of illegal drugs, most of which are less harmful than alcohol and tobacco according to the government’s own advisory council.
Criminalising drug users (both recreational and addicts) does not solve the problem of drugs and only feeds the black market.
Drug users should only come in to contact with police when they steal from others to fund their habit, or cause harm to others as a result of their use. The majority of otherwise law abiding citizens who choose to use recreational drugs should be left alone.”
Deficit reduction:
“End prohibition of drugs and introduce a legal framework in which recreational drugs can be supplied legally by medical professionals and properly licensed outlets. Stop wasting money on policing drugs policy, reduce the court costs and apply a tax on all recreational drugs to fund related healthcare.
This may not be a welcome idea, but please keep an open mind. Prohibition is an expensive failure which causes more harm than good.
This would save Billions of Pounds as well as raising extra revenue from taxation and is probably one of the single biggest improvements that can be made to get the national finances back in order. Also consider the extra tourism that could be generated as a result of more liberal laws.
I don’t see why politicians are so reluctant to consider such an idea, unless there’s some advantage in having multi-billion Pound a year black market run by non tax-paying criminals which are free to cut drugs with more dangerous substances.
An eye for an eye – ideally the punishment should fit the crime. If a thief has his hand cut off, they CAN’T steal again!! Maybe a bit dramatic…
Prison definately needs to be looked at. It seems to be more like holiday camp than a an establishment for rehablilitaion! Prisons should be made to be as uncomfortable as possible… ALL pleasures should be taken away – TV, gamestations, phones… Food should be basic , why should these people get a choice??… Half the size of all the prison cells – straight away you’ve doubled your prison spaces and prisoners will feel more confined, more PUNISHED – prison should be a deterrent, not a rent free lodging…
Most importantly, if someones human rights are breached, then the perpertrator should lose ALL of their human rights.
My general feeling about justice is that you get more support and assistance for being the criminal than you do for being the victim.
My experience of jury service was farcical. The quality of evidence brought to court was woeful which wasted everyone’s time. It was clear that police procedures needed improving.
The DNA of anyone arrested should be kept. Anything that increases the chances of police catching criminals is a good thing.
Removing the ambiguity of “using reasonable force” is welcome.
We need prison to be a deterrent, both from the length of sentence, and the austerity of the experience. We’re failing on both these points at present.
For some who are brought up with little spare money, in rough communities with poor quality housing – the prison environment could seem quite acceptable in comparison! With all the mod-cons, playstations, tvs, pool tables, decent food, drugs on tap… etc etc. This needs to change. Have them all doing grim work for free, with any profits made from the work going into a fund that goes directly back to their victims. Any rehabilitation/education activities should be in evenings after they’ve done a day’s grim work. And let’s get back to life meaning life, 10 years meaning 10 years, not 5, and courts not being under pressure to let people off prison merely due to lack of places. Make more prison places if necessary!
Review the extradition agreement with the US and ensure that the burden of proof required is the same both ways and not biased against Britons.
Do Judges represent the people when it comes to administrating justice for the people? Too often Judges make decisions that don’t represent the people. Perhaps Judges should be elected by the people to judge the people – people would more readily accept their judgement then.
I think the most important thing for the CG to do is to get rid of the consistent anti-social behaviour that is blighting our cities and towns. The UK has become a nation of drunks, thugs, and criminal gangs who roam the streets with a sense of immunity from the law. I’ve seen teenagers openly swearing at police officers and disobeying directions from police in situations where crowd safety is an issue. I see youths dropping litter all the time, and screaming and shouting on the streets at each other and members of the public. What kind of society is this where this kind of behaviour is allowed? Anti social behaviour makes me feel ashamed of being British because it is too easily tolerated and no one is willing to take a stand. It is a Government problem because the Police, who report to the Executive, are powerless to intervene to stop anti-social behaviour on the spot. I put a lot of the blame on the previous government who came up with lots of pie in the sky ideas such as on the spot fines, ASBOs, and endless paperwork and monitoring for police to comply with whenever they act to prevent crime or anti-social behaviour taking place. The CG has the opportunity to put this right.
Please, lets start giving youths safe places to hang out after school so that they’re not on the street. Lets encourage them to go into arts, and community work to keep them developing skills when they’re not in school during the evenings and holidays. Lets give the police the powers back to intervene whenever anti-social behaviour is observed and arrest those who intimidate the public straight away. It might be ‘zero-tolerance’ but it worked for New York city and I am sure it will work for the UK.
The failure of the immigration department to recognise the fact that Christians are persecuted in Pakistan is ludicrous. Just Google it on the web “Persecution of Christians in Pakistan”, you will get nearly 13,000 hits. The immigation service is in denial and most, if not all of the immigration judges, are pig ignorant about the subject. The immigration authorities are not at all sensitive about the problem and assign muslim case workers to Christians who are seeking sanctuary here. In Pakistan it was muslims who persecuted them. There would be plenty of protests if a homophobe was appointed as a case worker for a GLBT client.
The numbers of people seeking sanctuary from persecution in the UK is about 25,000 per annum – even if all were let in, we would hardly be swamped, and for those who are genuine we have international obligations to receive them as refugees. We are spending a ridiculous amount of money in trying to stop these few instead of concentrating on the much higher numbers coming from other sources.
This government should abolish the adversarial system that assumes all those seeking sanctuary here are liars and deceivers, assuming they are guilty until proved innocent, As in our legal system they should be considered genuine until proved otherwise. A really good system for dealing with those seeking sanctuary would be based on assuming the person is telling the truth until proved a liar. This would lead to a fairer system as has been implemented in Canada where the system is more inquisitorial than adversarial.
I hope your government redresses a long-standing injustice that the most recent update to nationality law could have but didn’t . British fathers could not until recently transfer their nationality to children born abroad of a relationship not recognized according to stringent criteria as ‘a marriage’, whereas British women can even if their children are illegitimate by anybody’s criteria. This is manifestly discriminatory. Recent legislation amended the position to eliminate the discrimination in future, and retroactively but with a cutoff date that excludes a small number of individuals, including my daughter Antonia, born 15 October 1978 of an Italian mother to whom I was married in the Roman Catholic church without subsequent civil registration, something possible in Italy, Despite my registration of her birth at the Consulate at the time and many subsequent representations, my entitlement to convey my British nationality to her is still denied, and continues to be so though the aforesaid legislation acknowledges the wrongfulness of the position. A minor amendment to the relevant Act would suffice – perhaps it could even be done by ministerial order or whatever. My daughter feels this injustice deeply, as do I, and I gather others of the small number of people affected. I trust your government will see fit to repair it.
A ) Has the acceptance of the “human Rights Agenda” removed the loss of cicil rights when found guilty of criminal actions? If not, why can inmates claim “violations”??
B ) In the human rights cases, which were in in the media, the section 30 was never quoted as a limitation for a number of earlier mentioned rights. e.g. When the free speech infringes on the freedom from harrasement, the the free speech has violated the Human Rights of one pereson or a group of persons. Why has this section not yet been used by the prosecution ?? Any answers??
C ) What is the goverment to do about the new European directive in discussion, which intends to remove conscience and action based on religious convictions as valid defense against oppressive requests?
D ) Will the government re-introduce the requirement for non-UK-citizen to register with the poilce? As it was necessary in the early 1980ties.
This would be of value for the handling of immigration, fraud with fictive addresses, enable the police during “Stop and Search” to ascertain an illegal immigrant more quickly, as the can check via their phones quickly even out side their county.
The punishment to fit the crime. re- write the sentence ‘rule book’ . The victim’s human rights should matter more than the criminal! The legal aid system needs a complete overhaul.Too many lawyers ‘milk’ it. Deportation for immigrants that commit crimes and not allowed back (even when sponsered ). Prison should be less ‘homely’. Maybe criminals would be less likely to carry on, knowing prison is not’ 3 hot meals and pampered’ More community service for petty crime.