News & Advice

The Attorney General has the power to refer to the Court of Appeal sentences for certain offences which they believe to be unduly lenient. This is sometimes called the unduly lenient sentence scheme.  The scheme was established in the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and came into force in 1989. The purpose of the scheme is… Continue reading Review of Unduly Lenient Sentences – Latest Figures Published

The Law Commission has published new reforms to overhaul the system for recovering the proceeds of criminal activities. The reforms, which are the culmination of a Home Office-commissioned review, would enhance enforcement powers and could lead to the recovery of millions of pounds of additional funds from offenders each year. A “confiscation order” is a… Continue reading Proceeds of Crime – Confiscation Reform on the Cards

On 3 November 2022, Glencore Energy (UK) Limited was sentenced to financial penalties totalling some £280 million. Glencore was charged on indictment with seven counts under the Bribery Act 2010. Glencore pleaded guilty to all seven counts on 21 June 2022 before the Honorary Recorder of Westminster. Counts 1 to 5 are bribery offences, contrary… Continue reading Bribery – An Expensive Business…..

Police recorded crime figures in 2021/22 show that there were 155,841 offences where one or more of the centrally monitored hate crime strands were deemed to be a motivating factor. This represented a 26% increase in figures for 2020/21.  Since April 2015, there have been spikes for racial or religiously aggravated hate crimes at the… Continue reading Police Respond to Increased Reports of Hate Crime

For decades academics, policy makers, practitioners and other experts have deliberated on how best to create safer communities by preventing offending by children. For the past 20 years or more, the body of evidence known as the ‘Child First’ approach has been proven to be the best way of achieving this. With that in mind,… Continue reading What Works in Youth Justice?

A new public order bill is currently before parliament and may trigger a more authoritarian approach to protest rights. Introducing the bill, then Secretary of State for the Home Office Priti Patel spoke of an increase in disruption and criminal behaviour during protests that had diverted police resources away from communities:  “We are seeing parts… Continue reading New Public Order Laws

Changes to pre-charge bail arrangements and the current system of “release under investigation” are expected to come into force in late October 2022 when schedule 4 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing And Courts Act 2022 is commenced.   The current system An individual who has been arrested by the police but who has not yet… Continue reading Pre-charge Bail – Changes Coming Soon

HM Prison & Probation Service launched an electronic tagging programme to improve efficiency and increase the usefulness of tagging for police and probation services, but after significant setbacks and delays the failure has cost taxpayers dear.  Tagging allows the police, courts, probation and immigration services to monitor offenders’ locations and compliance with court orders, and… Continue reading Public Accounts Committee Report Condemns Government Electronic Tagging Strategy

The Sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP sentence) was introduced under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to detain people in prison who posed a significant risk of causing harm to the public.  Following criticism of the sentence and its operation, it was reformed in 2008, and subsequently abolished in 2012. In total, 8,711 individuals… Continue reading MPs Unhappy with IPP Sentencing Injustice

We were concerned that a minor piece of research, casting doubt on the quality of representation in youth cases, was widely reported in the press.   What did the study suggest? A report by “Fair Trials”, Young minds, big decisions, alleges that young people are being placed under intense pressure to plead guilty to crimes without… Continue reading Youth Cases & Quality of Representation