The HMICFRS responds to our super-complaint regarding Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and independent community scrutiny of stop and search. The CJA’s 2021 super-complaint called for the repeal of Section 60 powers, emphasising the need for a review of the legislation’s effectiveness.
The HMICFRS report acknowledges issues of police non-compliance with legal and best practice frameworks but falls short of advocating strongly for a robust mandatory framework.
In March, the CJA and a coalition of organisations wrote to the Prime Minister, warning that the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will deepen existing racial inequality in the criminal justice system, leading to more Black, Asian and minority ethnic people being swept into the criminal justice system for ever increasing periods of their lives. We have now received a response from the government.
The CJA has been in communication with the justice secretary in recent months, raising our concerns about the decision to extend the amount of time someone can be kept in prison while awaiting trial. We have also been pushing for the greater use of Bail Information Services in courts and prisons, which can help people satisfy requirements for bail, preventing them from being remanded in prison. We have now received a further response from the justice secretary.
We wrote to the Ministry of Justice in March, setting out our concerns that the government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will deepen racial inequality in the criminal justice system and asking for further details on how the government has assessed the disproportionate impact of the legislation. We have received a response from the justice secretary providing more detail.
We recently wrote to the Ministry of Justice, calling for the government to reverse its decision to extend the amount of time someone can be kept in prison awaiting trial before their case must be reviewed by a judge. We also called for the reintroduction of Bail Information Services, which can help defendants secure bail rather than be kept in prison awaiting trial. The justice secretary Robert Buckland has responded in this letter.
In August 2020, we spoke to restorative academics and practitioners about how restorative justice, practices and approaches have been used throughout the pandemic to alleviate tension and conflict, in the criminal justice system and beyond. This culminated in our Responding Restoratively to COVID-19 report. Dr Jo Farrar, CEO of HMPPS, responds to the report in this letter.
We recently worked with members to respond to the government’s sentencing White Paper, identifying positive elements of the proposals, highlighting our concerns, and making recommendations for fair and effective sentencing. In this letter with an accompanying annex, the government responds to our briefing, discussing areas such as community sentences, problem-solving courts, probation, youth justice and more.
In this letter, Alex Chalk MP responds to key recommendations from our Routes to Recovery report on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. He discusses the discharge grant, remote hearings, funding for Black and minority ethnic-led organisations, supporting victims through the pandemic and more.
Robert Buckland, Secretary of State for Justice, has responded to the Criminal Justice Alliance’s letter which provided COVID-19 recommendations on protecting lives in the criminal justice system.