*/
Lord Justice Leveson, the senior presiding judge in England and Wales, has expressed concerns about the high numbers of penalty notices and other out of court disposals of justice.
Speaking at the Liverpool John Moores University’s Roscoe Foundation for Citizenship, in November, Leveson LJ questioned whether the issue of 450,000 penalty notices for disorder and cautions in 2009 was “truly appropriate”.
When issuing these penalties, the police were acting as prosecutor and judge, he said, and while these disposals were not convictions, they “risk ‘criminalising’ people who on a one off occasion do something out of character and who feel that the quickest thing to do is to accept the penalty or caution ... even if further analysis might have revealed no offence.”
Acknowledging the disruption that shoplifters and noisy neighbours can create, he said, “it is obviously a matter of proportion and, in relation to out of court disposals, I make my view clear that we have got the proportion wrong.”
Speaking at the Liverpool John Moores University’s Roscoe Foundation for Citizenship, in November, Leveson LJ questioned whether the issue of 450,000 penalty notices for disorder and cautions in 2009 was “truly appropriate”.
When issuing these penalties, the police were acting as prosecutor and judge, he said, and while these disposals were not convictions, they “risk ‘criminalising’ people who on a one off occasion do something out of character and who feel that the quickest thing to do is to accept the penalty or caution ... even if further analysis might have revealed no offence.”
Acknowledging the disruption that shoplifters and noisy neighbours can create, he said, “it is obviously a matter of proportion and, in relation to out of court disposals, I make my view clear that we have got the proportion wrong.”
Lord Justice Leveson, the senior presiding judge in England and Wales, has expressed concerns about the high numbers of penalty notices and other out of court disposals of justice.
Chair of the Bar sets out a busy calendar for the rest of the year
AlphaBiolabs has announced its latest Giving Back donation to RAY Ceredigion, a grassroots West Wales charity that provides play, learning and community opportunities for families across Ceredigion County
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, outlines why barristers, solicitors, judges, social workers and local authorities across the UK trust AlphaBiolabs for court-admissible testing
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs is helping to support women and children affected by domestic abuse, thanks to the company’s unique charity initiative that empowers legal professionals to give back to community causes
Casey Randall of AlphaBiolabs discusses the benefits of Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity testing for the Family Court
Philip N Bristow explains how to unlock your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step
