Super Market Justice ?
In order to deliver the changes in both consultation responses the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill contains the legislative provisions required to support the implementation of these wider packages of reform.
Legal Aid
The Government has confirmed how it will overhaul the £2 billion plus system of legal aid, one of the most expensive systems in the world. The plans unveiled include:
- retaining legal aid for cases where people's life or liberty is at stake, where they are at risk of serious physical harm, or immediate loss of their home, or where their children may be taken into care;
- legal aid being made available for victims of domestic violence and child abuse;
- Abolishing legal aid for squatters resisting eviction and most immigration cases; means testing all applicants including those on benefits; Retaining legal aid for Special Educational Needs cases.
Sentencing
In response to the 'Breaking the Cycle' consultation, we announce today:
- A new offence of aggravated knife possession, with a mandatory prison sentence of at least six months;
- no reform of murder sentencing under Schedule 21; no further discount for pleading guilty early.
We are also conducting an urgent Government review of Imprisonment for Public Protection, with a view to replacing the system with a much tougher determinate regime which would mean:
- More serious offenders would receive life sentences - with mandatory life sentences for the most serious repeat offenders; Offenders committing serious sexual and violent offences will spend two thirds of their sentence in prison rather than the half they spend under the current system.
Reducing reoffending
Intensive new prison wings designed to get offenders off drink and drugs are to be tested in five jails over the next year as part of a wider Government drive to tackle addiction and crack down on drug abuse inside prison.
Further plans to tackle reoffending include:
- Making prisoners work harder, longer and on meaningful tasks; ensuring prisoners earn money for victims, and not just for themselves.
- Cracking down hard on drug abuse inside prisons; demanding more from offenders in tackling the root cause of their criminality; ensuring we only put taxpayers' money into the programmes that work.
Legal Aid and Punishment of Offenders Bill
Government's response to the Breaking the Cycle consultation
Government's response to the consultation on reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales
Background to the consultations:
The Breaking the Cycle Green Paper was published on 7 December 2010 and was followed by a 12 week consultation period that ended on 4 March 2011. Over 1200 responses were received from a wide range of stakeholders, including staff and professionals working within the Criminal Justice System, the general public, service providers, charities, and the private sector.
The response sets out how the Government intends to take forward plans to reform the Criminal Justice System, in order to deliver more effective punishment of offenders, greater reparation to victims, and, by breaking the cycle of crime, a safer public
The Legal Aid Reform Green Paper was published on 15 November 2010 and was followed by a 12 week consultation period that ended on 14 February 2011. During this period we received over 5000 responses from a broad spectrum of stakeholders.
We would grateful to any member who wishes to comment on the outcome of the consultations. Please use the box below what does this mean for you organisation or community ?