Displaying items by tag: justice system

The Government’s decision to release two thousand prisoners early next month to alleviate prison overcrowding has drawn significant criticism from Martin Jones, chief probation inspector. He warned that this move is fraught with risks due to the lack of resources available to monitor released offenders adequately. He feels that the Probation Service, already stretched thin, may struggle to prevent reoffending, leading to potential public safety issues. The early release scheme, announced by justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, reduces sentences 40% to 50%  for thousands of inmates, adding pressure to an overburdened probation system. Jones emphasised the inevitability of some reoffending, given the sheer volume of releases, and urged for rapid learning from mistakes when they occur. He also criticised the current lenient work-from-home policy for probation officers, highlighting its impact on accurate risk assessment. The Government, meanwhile, has announced plans to recruit one thousand extra probation officers by 2025, though they will not be ready before the early release measure ends.

Keir Starmer has indicated that thousands of prisoners may be released due to severe overcrowding in jails across England and Wales. He criticised the previous Conservative government for their handling of the prison system, which is now almost at full capacity with only 1,400 spaces left out of a total of 88,864. The Ministry of Justice is working on building six new prisons to create 20,000 additional spaces, with 6,000 already completed. However, Starmer’s government is currently reviewing whether to continue this expansion programme. An official announcement regarding the prison crisis is expected soon, highlighting the urgent need to address the issue and find sustainable solutions.

Tens of thousands of Israelis continue with weekly protests over the justice system and as many as one in three are considering leaving Israel. A leading radiologist, Professor Hoffmann, is in the process of moving to a UK hospital and is trying to persuade other members of his family, who all have European passports, to consider leaving too. He is going to London for a sabbatical, to see if he can live outside Israel, where the situation is worsening daily. Protesters believe that government changes endanger democracy, while Israel's coalition argues that it fixes a judicial system where elected politicians are too easily overruled. Demonstrators hope to overturn new laws, but many admit that emigrating is something they, or those close to them, have considered. One demonstrator said, ‘It would be heart-breaking but I will not raise my children in a country which is not democratic. If I’m not sure that my daughter's rights as a young woman are guaranteed, we will not stay here.’

Children’s panels recognise that offending behaviour is usually a sign of other problems. The panel system was introduced in Scotland in 1971, with a wholly different approach to supporting children in crisis. They focus on welfare and protection. There are no juvenile courts, unless the case involves homicide or rape, which go into the mainstream legal system. There are no prosecutors or police officers sitting in, even though 75% of cases are referred by the police. The panel members are not judges or magistrates, but trained volunteers who act as the child’s guarantors, often directing social work departments and schools to put in place tailored support and services. Nearly 3,560 children went before a children’s panel last year. Hearings are not interested in innocence or guilt, but only in the young person’s welfare; they listen really hard to the young person, to the family, and to the professionals. Then they decide whether the young person needs the protection of the law.

Part of a declaration by Passion for the Nation: ‘Father, We thank You for the call on the UK to display Your righteousness and justice. We praise You for our heritage of godly justice, and we decree, this is a time for a reawakening of Kingdom values within our justice system. May the God-given sovereignty and order of governmental authority for this nation, judicial and legislative, be restored for the United Kingdom. In the Name of Jesus, we speak godly design over every aspect of the Brexit settlement in relation to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, Criminal Justice , Civil Law and Legal Services and for Heaven’s schedule in every aspect of the transitional period, so that no plan of man or of the enemy will alter either Your timing or Your purpose.’