*/
Criminal Bar leaders have called on politicians to invest in the justice system.
Francis FitzGibbon QC and Angela Rafferty QC, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, said that after Brexit, the legal system as a whole will be among the UK’s most prestigious and important assets.
The rule of law, they said, depends on a properly funded court system, with careers as lawyers and judges open to talent – without restriction by class, ethnicity or wealth.
But, they said: ‘Governments for at least 25 years have allowed criminal justice to degrade, from the police service, through the publicly funded part of the legal profession, the courts, to the prisons and the probation service.
‘Violent crime is rising and the system is dealing with a tsunami of highly sensitive sex cases, which are set to occupy it for years to come – it is imperative that enough investment is put in, across the sector, to ensure that the rights of victims and defendants are upheld.’
If £3bn can be found to repair the Houses of Parliament, the pair said, money must be available to invest in justice: ‘It is not an optional extra, but an essential element in a fair and tolerant society.’
They called on the next government to reverse the legal aid cuts, support the independent criminal Bar, repair the collapsing fabric of court buildings and retain the Human Rights Act as a powerful protector of victims.
Criminal Bar leaders have called on politicians to invest in the justice system.
Francis FitzGibbon QC and Angela Rafferty QC, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, said that after Brexit, the legal system as a whole will be among the UK’s most prestigious and important assets.
The rule of law, they said, depends on a properly funded court system, with careers as lawyers and judges open to talent – without restriction by class, ethnicity or wealth.
But, they said: ‘Governments for at least 25 years have allowed criminal justice to degrade, from the police service, through the publicly funded part of the legal profession, the courts, to the prisons and the probation service.
‘Violent crime is rising and the system is dealing with a tsunami of highly sensitive sex cases, which are set to occupy it for years to come – it is imperative that enough investment is put in, across the sector, to ensure that the rights of victims and defendants are upheld.’
If £3bn can be found to repair the Houses of Parliament, the pair said, money must be available to invest in justice: ‘It is not an optional extra, but an essential element in a fair and tolerant society.’
They called on the next government to reverse the legal aid cuts, support the independent criminal Bar, repair the collapsing fabric of court buildings and retain the Human Rights Act as a powerful protector of victims.
The age of criminal responsibility, extreme weather and conflict resolution – plus, new protocol for reporting bullying at the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP discusses her decade as a trade union and employment law barrister, the demands of life as a Law Officer and the number one priority shaping her work. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
At least not that way, says Richard Paige
