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Criminal Justice Alliance News | Member news | Events | Jobs
Criminal Justice Alliance news
The latest news from the Criminal Justice Alliance is listed below.
16 January 2012
The Criminal Justice Alliance is delighted to welcome three new members to the Alliance. The Prince's Trust, the Forgiveness Project and the Detention Advice Service have all joined the CJA as of 16 January 2012.10 January 2012
The Criminal Justice Alliance has written a letter in response to the Home Affairs Committee Consultation on Drugs Policy.The CJA welcomed this inquiry and highlighted some of the key concerns of our members in relation to drugs policy: the increase in recent years in the number of those sentenced to custody for drug offences; the length of sentence for low level supply; the continuing failure of the criminal justice system to rehabilitate many offenders with addictions to drugs and alcohol and the inappropriateness of prison as a place to receive treatment for substance misuse. To read the letter click here.6 January 2012
The Criminal Justice Alliance responded to the Labour Party Justice Policy Working Group's consultation Punishment and Reform: What Works to Protect the Public and Stop Crime. The consultation covered nearly every aspect of the criminal justice system, including sentencing, rehabilitation, public opinion and victim support. To read our response in full click here.20 December 2011
CJA Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, has written a response piece in the Guardian highlighting the work of the Alliance in campaigning for a distinct approach to young adults in the justice system.To read the piece click here.19 December 2011
The CJA responded to the Consultation on Police Powers to Promote and Maintain Public Order. The response highlights the main areas of interest and concern including proposals to extend the imposition of curfews. These measures, in our opinion, would potentially exacerbate tensions between community members and police, and potentially undermine the good and valuable work of the police. To read the full response click here.
8 December 2011
The CJA was pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the Sentencing Council’s consultation on allocation, offences taken into consideration and totality. We supported the establishment of a new Sentencing Council and believe that the Council can promote stability and consistency in sentencing and improve the availability of data and other information about sentencing, while also playing a role in reviving public confidence in the sentencing process and maintaining judicial confidence. The full response can be read here.
6 December 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing for the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill Committee stage in the Lords. The full response can be read here.
26 November 2011
The CJA Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, has written an article for Barrister setting out the arguments for introducing the issue of maturity into sentencing decisions and the need to avoid custodial sentences for the young adult population unless absolutely necessary. To read the full article click here.
23 November 2011
The CJA welcomed the Government's decision to retain the Office of Chief Coroner. To read our earlier response to the Ministry of Justice consultation on the Public Bodies Bill, click here.
21 November 2011
CJA Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, writes for Huffington Post on mandatory minimum prisons sentence for knife offences. To read the article, click here.
21 November 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing for the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill Second Reading in the Lords. To read the briefing, click here.
7 November 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Magistrates' Association national enquiry into community justice. To read our response, click here.
7 November 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Department for Communities and Local Government's consultation on a new mandatory power of possession for antisocial behaviour. To read our response, click here.
4 November 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance's Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, has written a letter to the Guardian highlighting the need for reform of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and the importance of getting more ex-offenders into work. To read the letter, click here.
3 November 2011
The CJA's Policy and Campaigns Officer, Gemma Lousley, has written an article for the Huffington Post UK which argues that the Government's plans for two new mandatory sentences marks a shift away from its earlier commitment to effectiveness and proportionality. To read it, click here.
27 October 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance's Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, has commented on the Government's plans to introduce a mandatory minimum sentence of four months' imprisonment for 16 and 17 year olds convicted of certain knife offences. The comment was covered by the Independent, here.
27 October 2011
Vicki has written a letter to the Telegraph which argues that, following the publication of Ministry of Justice statistics on the background of those involved in the August riots, the coalition should now "address issues of social justice that are inextricably linked to criminal justice". To read the letter, click here.
19 October 2011
Nigel Newcomen CBE, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, spoke at the Criminal Justice Alliance members' meeting, on the role of the Ombudsman and issues for the new Ombudsman.
17 October 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance event 'Sentencing young adults: Getting it right' was hosted by Paul Maynard MP on 17 October in the House of Commons. Speakers included John Thornhill, Chairman of the Magistrates' Association, Roz Campion, Head of the Office of the Sentencing Council, and Adam Smith, Deputy Director of Sentencing and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Justice. A transcript of the event is available here.
14 October 2011
The CJA's Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, and Julie Harmsworth, Deputy Chief Executive of UNLOCK, have written an article for Progress Online on the impact of prison on housing, employment and finances. To read the article, click here.
13 October 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance's Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, has written a letter to the Times commenting on the Sentencing Council's new definitive guideline on burglary offences. The letter welcomes the Sentencing Council's decision to include guidance that, for offences of domestic and non-domestic burglary, "where the defendant is dependent on or has a propensity to misuse drugs and there is sufficient prospect of success, a community order with a drug rehabilitation requirement ... may be a proper alternative to a short or moderate custodial sentence." To read the letter, click here (paywall). Vicki also commented on the guideline: the Guardian covers the comment here, and the Telegraph here.
7 October 2011
Gemma has written a blog for the Huffington Post UK in response to an article by Sadiq Khan, the Shadow Justice Secretary, on the "growing crisis in our prison system". To read the blog, click here. Sadiq Khan's article is here.
1 October 2011
The CJA's Policy and Campaigns Officer, Gemma Lousley, has written a blog for Liberal Conspiracy on the development of the prisoner voting rights issue, and the Government's proposed justice reforms. To read it, click here.
30 September 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance is recruiting a Policy and Campaigns Officer. For more information and details on how to apply, click here.
30 September 2011
Vicki has written an article on 'Young adults and maturity: The case for sentencing reform' for Barrister magazine. To read the article, click here.
23 September 2011
Vicki commented on the record prison population, which now stands at 87,214. The comment was covered by the Independent, here. The full comment can be read here.
6 September 2011
Vicki commented on the Justice Secretary's description, in an article for the Guardian, of the penal system as "broken". The comment was covered in the Independent, here. Ken Clarke's article for the Guardian's Comment is Free is here.
6 September
The Criminal Justice Alliance's Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, has written a letter published in Children and Young People Now, which says that "evicting looters and their families is likely to backfire". To read it, click here.
1 September 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance will be hosting events at the three main political party conferences this year, focusing on how a fairer, more efficient and effective criminal justice system can be delivered. For further details, click here.
1 September 2011
The Law Society Gazette has published an article which looks the CJA's briefing 'Sentencing young adults: Getting it right', published for the Transition to Adulthood (T2A) Alliance. To read the article, click here. To read the briefing, click here.
31 August 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing for Committee Stage of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill in the House of Commons. To read it, click here.
25 August 2011
The CJA's Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, has written a letter to the Guardian about the Government's plans for community sentences and unpaid work. To read it, click here.
19 August 2011
Vicki has written an article for politics.co.uk in response to the record prison population, which now stands at 86,654. To read it, click here.
17 August 2011
Vicki appeared on BBC News 24 to discuss the sentencing of individuals convicted of riot related offences, and called for a proportionate approach. She also comments here.
12 August 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance's Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, has written a letter to the Times, alongside the Restorative Justice Council's Director, Lizzie Nelson, calling for wider use of restorative justice as a response to the riots across England. To read the text of the letter, click here. Vicki also commented on the need to reserve prison for the most serious offenders: her comments were covered by the Daily Mail, here, and by the Telegraph, here.
4 August 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Sentencing Council's consultation on the draft guideline on burglary offences. To read our response, click here.
22 July 2011
We are delighted to announce that the Criminal Justice Alliance has been granted charitable status, and is now a registered charity. Our registered charity number is 1143038.
22 July 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has published 'Restorative Justice: Time for action'. The briefing sets out what restorative justice is, the benefits of restorative justice - high victim satisfaction rates, reductions in reoffending and cost savings for the criminal justice system - and how it can be implemented across the criminal justice system. As a first step to ensuring that high quality restorative justice is available on a much wider scale across the adult criminal justice system in England and Wales, it calls for legislation to be introduced that places a duty on criminal justice agencies to offer restorative justice to all victims of crime pre-sentence, whenever an offender pleads guilty and agrees to participate in the process, and where it is appropriate and safe to do. To read the briefing, click here.
22 July 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has also published 'Sentencing young adults: Getting it right', a briefing written for the Transition to Adulthood (T2A) Alliance. As the briefing sets out, young adults aged 18-24 constitute less than 10% of the population, but make up almost one-third of offenders found guilty or cautioned for an indictable offence, more than one third of those commencing a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order, and almost one-third of those sentenced to prison each year. In spite of this, however, there are very limited provisions within the sentencing framework made specifically for young adults. The briefing sets out the current situation with regards to the sentencing of young adults, examines the case for considering maturity as part of the sentencing process and discusses what the benefits of this approach would be. It then considers how a new approach to sentencing young adults could be implemented in practice, and makes five recommendations for change. To read the briefing, click here.
12 July 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance's Director, Vicki Helyar-Cardwell, gave evidence to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill Committee on 12 July 2011. To read the transcript, click here.
12 July 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance hosted 'How can Police and Crime Commissioners help cut crime and disorder?' at the Congress Centre in London. Lord Wasserman, the Government's adviser on policing and criminal justice, Ian Loader, Professor of Criminology and Director of the Centre for Criminology, Oxford University and Andrew Morley, former Chief Executive of the London Criminal Justice Partnership spoke at the event. To listen to an audio recording of the presentations, click here, and to listen to the question and answer session, click here. A written transcript of the presentations is available here.
6 July 2011
Sadiq Khan MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, spoke at the Criminal Justice Alliance members' meeting, on Labour's review of criminal justice policy and what he sees as the priorities for future reform.
29 June 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing for the Second Reading of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill in the House of Commons. To read it, click here.
21 June 2011
The CJA's Policy and Campaigns Officer, Gemma Lousley, commented on the publication of the Government's response to the 'Breaking the Cycle' consultation and the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill: the comment was covered by the Independent, here, and by Metro.20 June 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Sentencing Council's consultation on the draft drug offences guideline. To read our response, click here.
10 June 2011
On Tuesday 12 July 2011, The Criminal Justice Alliance is hosting the event 'How can Police and Crime Commissioners help cut crime and disorder?' at the Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LS, from 10am-12.30pm. The event will focus on what role elected Police and Crime Commissioners will play in reducing crime and disorder, examining what impact they can have on crime reduction and how they can best work with other agencies and organisations in their areas. Rt Hon Nick Herbert MP, Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice, will give the main presentation. Ian Loader, Professor of Criminology and Director of the Centre for Criminology, Oxford University and Andrew Morley, former Chief Executive of the London Criminal Justice Partnership, will respond. A question and answer session with the panel will follow. To book a place at this event, please email us at info@criminaljusticealliance.org or call 020 7840 1204. Further details about the event are available here.
10 June 2011
The CJA is delighted to announce that Vicki Helyar-Cardwell has been appointed as the Criminal Justice Alliance's Director. Vicki will be joining the CJA in early July.
17 May 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Home Office consultation, 'More effective responses to antisocial behaviour'. To read our response, click here.
12 May 2011
The CJA's Policy and Campaigns Officer, Gemma Lousley, commented on the Sentencing Council's draft guideline on burglary offences. To read the comment, click here. The comment was covered by the BBC news website: click here.
May 2011
Jon has written an article on payment by results for Public Servant magazine. The article says that the introduction of payment by results to the criminal justice system is intended to drive innovation by enabling providers to explore new ways of reducing reoffending. However, it suggests that a lack of clarity over how the scheme will be delivered may make it difficult to judge its success. Click here.
27 April 2011
Jon has written a letter to the Times in response to an article it published by former Justice Secretary Jack Straw. To read the letter, click here (paywall). To read Jack Straw's article, which argues that "cutting jail numbers plays into the hands of criminals", click here (paywall).
13 April 2011
Dr Peter Selby, President of the National Council for Independent Monitoring Boards and former Bishop to HM Prisons spoke at the Criminal Justice Alliance members' meeting.
4 April 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance's Director, Jon Collins, has written a letter to the Independent on the Sentencing Council's draft guideline on drug offences. To read it, click here.
April 2011
Jon has written an article on payment by results for Safer Communities journal. It describes the proposals contained in the justice green paper to implement a process of payment by results across the criminal justice system, examines some existing examples of payment by results-based projects, and discusses some of the key questions that need to be resolved in the development of this new approach. It is available online for free for a limited period. Click here.
30 March 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has co-signed a letter to the Guardian supporting the Women's Institute's 'Care not Custody' campaign. To read it, click here.28 March 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the Sentencing Council's draft guideline on sentencing for drug offences. To read the comment, click here. The comment was covered in The Times, click here (paywall). The CJA's Director, Jon Collins, was also interviewed about the guideline on BBC Radio York.
16 March 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance's Director, Jon Collins, commented on the Sentencing Council's guideline on assault. To read the comment, click here. The comment was covered in the Daily Mirror, here. The CJA's Policy and Campaigns Officer, Gemma Lousley, blogs about the guideline on Liberal Conspiracy, here.
4 March 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Ministry of Justice green paper, 'Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders'. To read our response, click here.
March 2011
Gemma has written an article for the debating section of the March issue of Criminal Justice Matters, on 'Should prisoners work from 9-5?'. For more information, click here. To read the article, click here (subscription required).
28 February 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing on prisoner education and training, in advance of Lord Sheldon's question today in the House of Lords. To read it, click here.
11 February 2011
Jon's comment on the Commons debate on prisoners' voting rights was covered by the Morning Star: click here. Jon was also interviewed on BBC Radio York.
10 February 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance's Director, Jon Collins, has written an article for Progress online on voting rights for prisoners. Click here.
10 February 2011
In advance of the debate in the Commons today, the Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing for MPs on prisoners' voting rights. Click here.
10 February 2011
Read a briefing on prisoners' voting rights supported by the Criminal Justice Alliance, the Aire Centre, JUSTICE, Liberty, Penal Reform International, the Prison Reform Trust and and UNLOCK here.
7 February 2011
Jon commented on the new antisocial behaviour measures proposed by the Government: the comment was covered in the Independent here.
1 February 2011
The CJA has written a blog on 'Breaking the Cycle' and the 'rehabilitation revolution' for the Works for Freedom website, run by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. To read it, click here.
26 January 2011
Crispin Blunt, Minister for Prisons and Probation, spoke at the Criminal Justice Alliance members' meeting on 26 January 2011. Mr Blunt's speech on 'Breaking the Cycle', the criminal justice green paper, focused on rehabilitation and government proposals for reducing reoffending. He also used the speech to announce that plans for slimmed down contracts for Probation Trusts, as set out in the Green Paper, will be implemented by April 2011, a year earlier than originally set out.
20 January 2011
Jon has written an article for the Yorkshire Post on voting rights for prisoners, arguing that 'voting is a right not a privilege, even in jail'. To read it, click here.
19 January 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on reports that the Government is planning to restrict the right to vote to prisoners sentenced to one year or less. To read the comment, click here. The Morning Star covered the comment: click here.
18 January 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the news that Jack Straw and David Davis have joined forces to secure an early Commons vote on prisoners' voting rights. Read the comment here. The comment was covered in the Daily Mail: click here.
17 January 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Department for Communities and Local Government's consultation document 'Local decisions: A fairer future for social housing'. To read our response, click here.
13 January 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the Ministry of Justice's announcement that three prisons will be closed. Read the comment here. The comment was covered in the Guardian, click here, and we were interviewed on LBC Radio and BBC Radio 5 Live.
11 January 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance co-signed a letter in the Guardian with JUSTICE, Penal Reform International, the Prison Reform Trust, UNLOCK, the Howard League, Liberty, and others, in support of government proposals to enfranchise prisoners serving sentences of up to four years. Click here.
5 January 2011
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Sentencing Council's consultation on the draft assault guideline. To read our response, click here.
21 December 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing on the diet and treatment of prisoners, in advance of Lord Sheldon's question today in the House of Lords. Click here.
17 December 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the Government's announcement that prisoners serving less than four years are to get the right to vote. Read the comment here.14 December 2010
Jon has written an article for Progress online on 'Breaking the Cycle', the green paper on criminal justice reform. To read the article, click here.
10 December 2010
Jon co-signed a letter published in the Daily Telegraph calling for more use of restorative justice with Victim Support, the Prison Reform Trust, the Restorative Justice Council, the Independent Commission on Youth Crime, Why me? and Make Justice Work. To read the letter, click here.
8 December 2010
Jon wrote a letter to The Times on Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection, in response to an article by Jonathan Aitken on the Green Paper proposals. Click here (paywall).
7 December 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on 'Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders', the Government's green paper on criminal justice reform. Read the comment here.6 November 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on reports that the Government intends to cut prison numbers and close six prisons. To read the comment, click here. The comment was covered in The Times, click here (paywall).4 November 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the publication of a 'Compendium of reoffending statistics and analysis' by the Ministry of Justice. Read the comment here. The comment was covered in the Telegraph (click here) and Jon did an interview on BBC Radio 4.2 November 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on reports that prisoners are to get the right to vote. Read the comment here. The comment was covered in the Telegraph (click here), on the Express website (click here), in the Yorkshire Post (click here) and in the Morning Star (click here).20 October 2010
We commented on the announcement of the results of the spending review, and Jon was quoted briefly in the Telegraph; click here. Read the full statement here.20 October 2010
During 2011, membership meetings will take place on Wednesday 26 January, Wednesday 13 April, Wednesday 6 July and Wednesday 19 October, all at 11.30am in London.20 October 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance met with Rt Hon Lord Justice Leveson, Chairman of the Sentencing Council.14 October 2010
Jon Collins was quoted by the Mirror here and the BBC here with regard to the Sentencing Council's consultation on proposals to change the guidelines for assault. Read the full statement here, in which he states that the proposed guidance would "promote consistency and prevent a postcode lottery in sentencing, helping to make sure that offenders receive the sentence that they deserve".11 October 2010
We wrote a round up of the three party conferences for Nacro's blog, available here.5 October 2010
The CJA co-hosted fringe events, titled 'Inside Out: Should There Be Fewer People In Prison?', at all three party conferences, scrutinising the UK's current approach to prison and the criminal justice system and asking how effective it is in preventing crime and reducing reoffending. The fringe events were jointly hosted by the Criminal Justice Alliance, the Prison Reform Trust, Centre Forum, Policy Exchange and the Fabian Society. For coverage of the Conservative event click here, for coverage of the Liberal Democrat event click here and for coverage of the Labour event click here, here, here and here. Read the CJA's round-up of the three conferences on Nacro's blog here.October 2010
Jon wrote an article on government consultations for the Autumn 2010 edition of Action for Prisoners' Families News. Click here.
24 September 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the prison population figures released on Friday 24 September, which showed that the population had reached a record 85,201. To read the comment, click here. The comment was covered in the Independent, click here.17 September 2010
The new Government has signalled its intention to ensure that all public services, including the criminal justice system, are more accountable to the public and better deliver on the public's priorities. In this context, the Criminal Justice Alliance organised a roundtable seminar for its members and invited guests to examine the public's current views of the criminal justice system, what the public would like the criminal justice system to achieve, and what changes to the criminal justice system the public would support. Speakers included Julie Taylor, Director of Offender Management Policy at the Ministry of Justice, Ashley Ames, Research Director for Crime and Justice at Ipsos MORI, Mark Easton, Home Editor at the BBC, Julian Roberts, Professor of Criminology at the University of Oxford, and Mike Dixon, Director of Strategic Policy for Victim Support. A summary of the event will be available soon.10 September 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the launch of the Social Impact Bond pilot at HMP Peterborough. To read the comment, click here. The comment was covered on the BBC website, click here, and on the Daily Mail website, click here.8 September 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the Director of Public Prosecutions' comments on the laws on murder, saying that reform of the law on homicide is long overdue. To read the comment, click here. The comment was covered in the Express, click here.10 August 2010
Jon commented on the new Ministry of Justice prison population projections. To read the comment, click here. It was covered in the Financial Times here and the Morning Star here and on the Guardian website here and the Telegraph website here.1 August 2010
The CJA is co-hosting fringe events, titled 'Inside Out: Should There Be Fewer People In Prison?', at the three party conferences. The event at the Liberal Democrat conference will be at 12.15pm-2pm on Saturday 18 September in Room 11a at the ACC Hall, King's Dock, Liverpool and speakers will include Lord McNally, Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, Ben Page, Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI, and Dr Mary Harris, Director of the Young Offender Programme led by National Grid. The event at the Labour Party conference will take place at 8pm-9.30pm on Monday 27 September at the Conference Hall in Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, Manchester, M60 2LA and speakers will include Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Peter Kellner, President of YouGov, and Chukka Umunna MP. The event at the Conservative Party conference will take place at 7pm-8.15pm on Monday 4 October in Room 103 at the Jury's Inn Hotel, 245 Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2HQ and speakers will include Crispin Blunt MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, and Dr Mary Harris, Director of the Young Offender Programme led by National Grid. All the events are open to the public without booking, but the event at the Liberal Democrat party conference is inside the secure zone, so a conference pass will be required to attend.22 July 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance has published a discussion paper ‘Criminal Justice and government at a time of austerity’, by David Faulkner, a Senior Research Associate at the University of Oxford Centre for Criminology. The paper considers the state of criminal justice as it has developed in England over the last 15–20 years, the assumptions and policies which have led to that situation, and the issues facing the coalition government which took office in May 2010. It then reviews the wider context of policy making and governance which affects public services of all kinds, and the implications of the period of austerity which must now be expected in all areas of public expenditure. Radical changes which have been needed for some time may now be easier to achieve, not only in criminal justice, but also in what the country expects from its public services, in the style and scope of government, and perhaps in the nation’s attitudes to social and political issues and the means of dealing with them. Download a shorter version here and an extended analysis here.15 July 2010
Jon commented on the annual crime statistics. To read the comment, click here. It was covered on the BBC News website, click here, and on the BBC Nottingham website, click here.15 July 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance's recent briefing 'Criminal justice: Areas for action' was mentioned by Lord Thomas of Gresford in a House of Lords debate on reform of the criminal justice system on 15 July 2010. To read the debate, click here. To download the briefing, click here.10 July 2010
Jon did an interview on Sky News discussing drugs in prison and links between the prison service and the police, as part of the coverage of the Raoul Moat case.7 July 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting with Dame Anne Owers, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons.30 June 2010
The criminal justice system in England and Wales is in crisis. The cost of the system has grown dramatically in recent years, yet prisons are dangerously overcrowded, the public’s confidence in the system is low, and reoffending rates remain high. A fresh approach to criminal justice policy is long overdue, and this Criminal Justice Alliance briefing 'Criminal Justice: Areas for Action' suggests twelve problem areas within the adult criminal justice system that need urgent attention in the new parliament. To download, click here.June 2010
In an online discussion, Jon asked Labour leadership candidate David Miliband, 'If elected leader would you review Labour's law and order policies with a view to reducing the use of prison and promoting more effective alternative sentences served in the community?' Miliband replied: 'We certainly need to make community sentences work better. One thing I am interested in is so called "restorative justice" where individuals have to make amends for their crimes to their victims. I first came across this in the 1990s in the Thames Valley. Would like to know more about it. If you have ideas please send them to team@davidmiliband.net or visit www.davidmiliband.net'. To read, click here.23 June 2010
The CJA's letter in response to Polly Toynbee's article 'Budget 2010: Forget being tough, it's time to get realistic on crime', was published in the Guardian, here.18 June 2010
Jon wrote an opinion piece in The Times arguing that we should send fewer people to prison, saying that we simply cannot afford to warehouse thousands of people in prison who could be better dealt with in the community. In response, MP Philip Davies argued that we should be thinking of extending sentences, not shortening them. To read, click here. (subscription required)17 June 2010
In an online discussion, Jon asked Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham, "If elected leader would you review Labour's law and order policies with a view to reducing the use of prison and promoting more effective alternative sentences served in the community?" Burnham replied: "I have long advocated the need to look at better use of community sentences, particularly for first-time offenders or for lower-level crimes. We need new kinds of community sentences that are not seen as a soft option, but they need to help the rehabilitation process too. We also need to look at the cause of the criminality. There are too many people in our prisons with undiagnosed or untreated mental health problems. As Health Secretary, I put extra funding to help those with mental health issues in prison but we need to do more to tackle this, as well as offer better treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. Surely it is better to spend money helping people get their lives back on track, than to spend it on keeping them in prison?" To read, click here.14 June 2010
The CJA's comment, here, following Ken Clarke's signals of a 'more sensible' prison sentencing policy was picked up in a Guardian article, here, and Jon also did an interview with BBC Radio Nottingham.June 2010
Inside Time produced an article based on Jon's recent presentation on the criminal justice system. To read, click here.8 June 2010
Jon attended a LGiU parliamentary reception on local government, where Eric Pickles discussed his priorities for the Department of Communities and Local Government. For a brief write-up click here.18 May 2010
Jon gave a presentation on 'Understanding the Criminal Justice System' at a Centre for Parliamentary Studies event on 18 May. To download the slides, click here.14 May 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance has published a briefing on the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government summarising what we know to date about the new government's priorities on crime and criminal justice, and the relevant personnel. It also looks at some further possible areas of agreement. To download the briefing, click here.7 May 2010
The CJA is on twitter. Follow us @cjalliance for the latest on criminal justice reform here.4 May 2010
Jon has written an article for Nacro on Justice reinvestment, prison policy and the post-election world. To read, click here.28 April 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting addressed by Professor Alison Liebling, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Dr Ben Crewe, Senior Research Associate, from the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge.14 April 2010
The Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat election manifestos were published on Monday 12 April, Tuesday 13 April and Wednesday 14 April respectively. This Criminal Justice Alliance briefing examines their proposals on crime and criminal justice issue-by-issue and then sets out, by party, the manifestos' contents on law and order. To download, click here.8 April 2010
The CJA has updated its briefings on what we know so far about the Conservative Party's and Liberal Democrats' crime and criminal justice policies, ahead of the publication of their formal election manifestos. The new briefing on the Conservative Party is available here and the new briefing on the Liberal Democrats is available here.26 March 2010
With a general election now expected on 6 May, this members' briefing, 'What have the Liberal Democrats proposed on law and order?' summarises the information available to date on the Liberal Democrats' crime and criminal justice policies. To download, click here.24 March 2010
The Ministry of Justice has published the latest NOMS performance ratings for Quarter 3 of 2009/10. 2 probation areas have improved their performance since the previous quarter, with none seeing a drop in performance. 3 prisons have improved compared to the previous quarter, with 4 having seen a drop in performance. 13 prisons were rated as a four, the highest ranking, compared to 14 in the previous quarter. To download the statistics, click here. To download a comparison with previous statistics, prepared by the CJA, click here for probation and here for prisons.19 March 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance has updated its briefing on the Conservatives' crime and criminal justice policy agenda. To download the
updated briefing, click here.10 March 2010
The CJA commented on the NAO report on short prison sentences. To read click here. The comment was quoted on the BBC website here and in the Guardian here. Jon did radio interviews on BBC Radio Leeds, talkSPORT and ‘SunTalk’, the Sun’s internet radio station.8 March 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance has joined with The Fawcett Society and over 40 other organisations in a pre-election campaign to ask all the parties ‘What about women?'. The campaign has submitted a range of questions on how the parties policies will impact on women and women’s equality. Click here for more information on the campaign.6 March 2010
Jon has written an article for Criminal Law & Justice Weekly (formerly Justice of the Peace) on prison overcrowding. To read, click here.25 February 2010
Jon writes about the encouraging progress in the youth justice system shown in the recent Government figures and examines some of the reasons behind the fall in the number of first time entrants into the system and the fall in the number in custody. To read the blog, click here.24 February 2010
Jon Collins, Campaign Director, commented on the Chief Inspector of Prisons' annual report, which warned that prisons in England and Wales risk becoming unstable because of chronic overcrowding and budget cuts. He says, 'this report should act as a timely reminder that prisons policy needs a radical change in direction'. To read the full statement, click here. Jon was quoted in the Financial Times. To read the article, click here.4 February 2010
Jon attended a roundtable hosted by Sunita Mason, the Independent Advisor for Criminality Information Management, who is carrying out a review for the Home Office of policy on retaining and disclosing records held on the Police National Computer. The terms of reference are available here. If you would like to find out more about this or contribute to this review, please contact Jon by email or on 020 7840 1207 for more information. The review will report by the end of this month, so any contribution will have to be made very soon.3 February 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing which aims to summarise what we know to date about the Conservatives' crime and criminal justice policy agenda, as well as providing links to relevant policy documents, speeches and media articles. We will be updating it as the election gets closer. To download the briefing, click here.February 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance gave evidence to New Philanthropy Capital for their new report 'Trial and Error: Children and young people in trouble with the law'. A copy of the report can be downloaded here.31 January 2010
Jon has written a letter arguing that prison ships, recently proposed by the Conservatives, should not be seen as a solution to the criminal justice system's problems. To read the letter in the Observer, click here.27 January 2010
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting with Helen Edwards, Director General of the Criminal Justice Group at the Ministry of Justice.21 January 2010
Jon responds to an article by Martin Kettle in the Guardian saying, 'at a time when the criminal justice system is in desperate need of reform, the justice committee has conducted a thorough and wide-ranging review of policy, something that the government and opposition have conspicuously failed to do.' To read, click here.13 January 2010
Jon Collins, Campaign Director, commented on the Justice Committee's new report 'Cutting crime: the case for justice reinvestment'. He says, ‘this report provides whichever party wins the forthcoming general election with a comprehensive blueprint for reform'. To read the full statement, click here. Jon was quoted in Community Care. To read the article, click here.13 January 2010
Jon has written an article examining the implications of the Conservatives announcement to drop proposals to build 5,000 additional prison places, on top of those planned by the current government for the Guardian's Comment is Free website. Read the article here.7 January 2010
The CJA has responded to the Ministry of Justice consultation 'Knowing or reckless misuse of personal data - introducing custodial sentences'. The consultation paper proposes custodial sanctions for those found guilty of knowingly or recklessly obtaining, disclosing, selling or procuring the disclosure of personal data without the consent of the data controller. The CJA's response argues that custodial sentences would not be appropriate for these offences. To read it, click here.14 December 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has today published 'Transforming Justice: New approaches to the criminal justice system', a collection of essays proposing potential routes to reform of the criminal justice system. In response to the range of challenges facing the criminal justice system, the Criminal Justice Alliance has asked experts on penal policy - including academics, campaigners and politicians - to put forward a series of potential reforms that could have a significant impact on the criminal justice system. The contributors to the collection are Professor Nicola Lacey, who proposes a Royal Commission to identify a future direction for the criminal justice system; David Howarth MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice for the Liberal Democrats, who proposes a National Institute for Criminal Justice Excellence; Professor Mike Hough, Director of the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, and Dr Jessica Jacobson, who discuss the benefits of a Sentencing Council for England and Wales; Douglas Carswell, Conservative MP for Harwich and Clacton, who proposes elected local 'sheriffs' to oversee all aspects of criminal justice policy; Amelia Walker, Head of Centre for Service Transformation at the Local Government Information Unit, who sets out proposals for localised 'primary justice'; Rob Allen, Director of the International Centre for Prison Studies, who discusses the potential of justice reinvestment; Chris Igoe, Information and Policy Officer at the Restorative Justice Consortium, who examines the evidence supporting a greater use of restorative justice; and Richard Garside, Director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, who discusses the need to tackle inequality. To read the report, click here. To read the accompanying press release, click here.25 November 2009
The Transition to Adulthood Alliance launched their young adult manifesto, to which the CJA contributed. It contains 10 recommendations aimed to make the way in which we deal with young adult offenders more effective, fairer and less costly. They include the recognition of young adults (aged 18–24) as a distinct group, more use of diversion, less use of custody and better resettlement support. To download the report, click here. To download the accompanying economic analysis of alternative interventions for young adult offenders, click here.20 November 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance responded to the Ministry of Justice consultation on the future of the parole board. To read the response, click here.18 November 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the Chief Inspector of Prisons' report on HMYOI Portland, which described conditions in the young offenders' institution as 'filthy and squalid'. To read the comment, click here. We were quoted on the BBC website (to read the article, click here) and in the Morning Star (click here).13 November 2009
Jack Straw's announcement of a minimum jail sentence, coming as it did after the Kinsella convictions, seems to lack rationale says Jon in an article for the Guardian's Comment is Free website. To read the article, click here.9 November 2009
Jon has written an article saying plans to stop ex-offenders making money from writing about their crimes could damage rehabilitation for the Guardian's Comment is Free website. For more details, click here.3 November 2009
Jon has written an article on Drinking Banning Orders, also known as 'Booze-Asbos', for the Stand Up Tall Project website. To read the article, click here.2 November 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has commented on the Centre for Social Justice's report on sentencing and the courts. To read the comment, click here.21 October 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting with John Thornhill, Chairman of the Magistrates' Association.21 October 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance was mentioned in a House of Lords debate on the Coroners and Justice Bill, in discussions about introducing financial support for bereaved families to participate in and be legally represented at inquests relating to deaths in state custody. To read the debate, click here. To read the Criminal Justice Alliance's letter to Jack Strw in this issue, click here.19 October 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance was a signatory to a letter in The Times opposing proposed measures on 'criminal memoirs' contained in the Coroners and Justice Bill. To read the letter, click here.16 October 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing on the Coroners and Justice Bill for the Report Stage in the House of Lords. To download the briefing, click here.15 October 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance co-hosted a roundtable event with the CCJS on the National DNA database for its members and invited guests to examine the issues arising from the National DNA Database which are of immediate concern to those working in the criminal justice sector. Mick Carling of the NPIA, Home Office and Helen Wallace of Genewatch, spoke about recent developments around the database, the recent Government consultation and issues of concern.8 October 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance hosted a consultation meeting to discuss the recommendations of 'A New Start - Young Adults in the Criminal Justice System', a report by the Transition to Adulthood Alliance on improving the criminal justice system for young adults aged 18-24. To read the report, click here.6 October 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the Prison Governors' Association's call to scrap short prison sentences. To read the comment, click here.5 October 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance responded to the Ministry of Justice consultation on the draft regulations for the introduction of means testing for criminal legal aid in the Crown Court. To read the response, click here.29 September 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance responded to the second Ministry of Justice consultation on prisoners voting rights. The CJA response maintained that all prisoners should be enfranchised, regardless of the length of their custodial sentence. To read, click here.28 August 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the latest prison population projections. To read the comment, click here.25 August 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on figures released by the Prison Reform Trust showing that two-thirds of prisons in England and Wales are overcrowded. To read the comment, click here.17 August 2009
Susanna Siddiqui has joined the Criminal Justice Alliance as Policy and Campaigns Officer.5 August 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Sentencing Advisory Panel's consultation paper on sentencing for burglary in a dwelling. The CJA supported proposals for an offender with an addiction to receive a community order, but encouraged the Panel to consider reducing the starting points for sentences for adults and for young people currently proposed in the Paper. To read the response, click here.31 July 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Government’s consultation paper on 'Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice'. The CJA welcomed proposals to make the criminal justice system more open to the public and to increase public understanding of the criminal justice system, providing that they will not be detrimental to the reform and rehabilitation of offenders. To read the response, click here.15 July 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has responded to the Sentencing Advisory Panel’s consultation paper on sentencing for drug offences. The CJA supports the Panel's proposals to reduce the length of prison sentences for people convicted of drug offences, but urges them to consider further reducing the starting points for drug offences in line with the lack of evidence of a deterrent effect of severe sentencing and the well-established damaging effects of imprisonment. To read the submission, click here.15 July 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance was mentioned in a House of Lords debate on the Coroners and Justice Bill. To read the relevant part of the debate, click here.13 July 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance was a signatory to a letter in the Guardian calling for improvements in the way we deal with young adults in conflict with the law. To read the letter, click here.13 July 2009
The Transition to Adulthood Alliance, which the Criminal Justice Alliance has contributed to, has published its initial report, 'A New Start: Young Adults in the Criminal Justice System'. The report contains 21 new and innovative proposals aimed at changing the way that Britain deals with young adult crime. For more details, click here. To download the report, click here. The T2A Alliance is consulting on the proposals ahead of publishing a final report in the autumn. For more details, click here.6 July 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing on the proposals for a Sentencing Council for the Committee Stage of the Coroners and Justice Bill in the House of Lords. To download the briefing, click here.3 July 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has received a response from Ministry of Justice minister Bridget Prentice MP to the letter signed by 35 leading criminal justice and human rights organisation calling for the Coroners and Justice Bill to be amended to introduce financial support for bereaved families to participate in and be legally represented at inquests relating to deaths in state custody. To read the response, click here. To read the original letter, click here.1 July 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting with Andrew Bridges, HM Chief Inspector of Probation. To read his speech, click here.9 June 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has published an open letter to Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Secretary of State for Justice, calling on him to amend the Coroners and Justice Bill to introduce financial support for bereaved families to participate in and be legally represented at inquests relating to deaths in state custody. The letter is signed by 35 leading criminal justice and human rights organisations. To read the letter click here and to read the accompanying press release, click here. The letter was mentioned in the House of Lords debate on the Bill. Click here to read the debate.8 June 2009
Jon wrote an article on 'Prison Expansion. Back to the drawing board?' for the latest edition of cjm, published today. For more details, click here.29 May 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has obtained new data on Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection from the Ministry of Justice. It shows that by the end of March 2009, 5,243 people had been given an IPP, and 58 people had been released. Over the last six months, 74 people on average have been sentenced to an IPP per month, and fewer than four people (3.66) have been released on average each month. To see the full figures, click here.18 May 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance was mentioned in the debate on the Coroners and Justice Bill in the House of Lords. To read the debate, click here.13 May 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing for the second reading of the Coroners and Justice Bill in the House of Lords. To download the briefing, click here.29 April 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting with Edward Garnier QC MP, Shadow Justice Minister for the Conservative Party.25 April 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance was quoted on Titan prisons in the Independent. Click here to read the article.24 April 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance commented on the Government's decision to abandon plans for Titan prisons. To read the comment, click here. The Criminal Justice Alliance was quoted on the BBC website. Click here to read the article.21 April 2009
The CJA organised a seminar with Maria Eagle MP to examine the progress that has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Corston report and discuss the priorities for future work to improve the criminal justice system for women. A summary of the discussion will be available soon.7 April 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance had a letter published in The Times. To read the letter, click here.25 February 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting with David Howarth MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice for the Liberal Democrats.22 January 2009
The Criminal Justice Alliance has produced a briefing for the second reading of the Coroners and Justice Bill in the House of Commons. To download the briefing, click here.27 December 2008
Jon wrote an article opposing Titan prisons for the Guardian's Comment is Free website. To read the article, click here.17 October 2008
The Criminal Justice Alliance has received a response from the Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw, to our open letter on Titan prisons. To read the response, click here. To read the original letter, click here.7 October 2008
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting with Phil Wheatley, Director General of the National Offender Management Service.23 September 2008
Jon wrote an article on the Government's prison population projections for the Guardian's Comment is Free website. To read the article, click here.6 September 2008
Jon wrote an article on reoffending rates for the Guardian's Comment is Free website. To read the article, click here.28 August 2008
The Criminal Justice Alliance has published an open letter to Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Secretary of State for Justice, on Titan prisons, signed by 35 leading criminal justice organisations. To read the letter click here, and to read the accompanying press release, click here.28 August 2008
The Criminal Justice Alliance has submitted a response to the Ministry of Justice’s Consultation Paper on Titan prisons. It argues that the Government’s case for Titan prisons has not been effectively made and that Titan prisons are a wholly unwelcome development. To download it, click here.6 August 2008
The Criminal Justice Alliance met with the consultation team to discuss the Ministry of Justice's consultation paper on Titan prisons.5 August 2008
The Criminal Justice Alliance had a letter published in the Guardian. To read the letter, click here.
18 July 2008
Jon wrote an article on Titan prisons for the Guardian's Comment is Free website. To read the article, click here.16 June 2008
The Criminal Justice Alliance has moved offices. We are now based at Park Place, 10-12 Lawn Lane, London, SW8 1UD. For full contact details, click here.24 April 2008
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting with Lord Justice Gage. Lord Justice Gage is chairing the Sentencing Commission Working Group, which is examining proposals for a structured sentencing framework and Sentencing Commission. Click here for more details on their work.3 March 2008
Jon Collins has joined the Criminal Justice Alliance as Campaign Director, leading the Alliance's campaign to end prison overcrowding.29 January 2008
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting with Nick Herbert MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice. Nick discussed the Conservative Party's review of prisons and sentencing.24 January 2008
The Criminal Justice Alliance today held a meeting with Rt Hon David Hanson MP, Minister of State for Justice, who discussed the Government's proposals in response to the Carter and Corston reports.