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Women veterans in prison

This new research is based primarily on interviews with 30 women veterans aged between 38 and 67 years old. The women interviewed for this research had very different experiences of service life. Some found military service to have been a very positive experience and their difficulties only started when they left,… A new report from Salute Her UK and Forward Assists shines a light on the hitherto hidden population of women veterans in contact with the criminal justice system. ...

Detention in the UK 'a mixed bag'

The National Preventive Mechanism is the network of independent bodies that have responsibility for preventing ill-treatment in detention. In every jurisdiction of the UK –Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales – the bodies in this network have the job of inspecting or monitoring every place of detention with the aim of… The UK’s National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) published its 13th annual report (covering the financial year 2021/22) in which it describes the crises of staffing, under-funding and slow COVID recovery ...

The pros and cons of pre-recorded cross examination

Section 28 (s.28) of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act (YJCEA) 1999 allowed eligible witnesses to pre-record their cross-examination or re-examination before the trial. It was intended that the s.28 recording can be presented during the trial without the witness needing to attend and experience fear or distress about… The Ministry of Justice has today published new research evaluating the use of pre-recorded cross examination (Section 28) for intimidated witnesses....

Procedural justice In probation

The importance of perceptions of procedural justice (PJ) has been well documented in court, policing and prison settings as influencing a multitude of relevant outcomes, including cooperation and compliance with the law, rules and instructions, psychological wellbeing, and recidivism. PJ research in probation settings is, however, still in its infancy.… One of the most heartening findings was that people at the start of their probation period had poorer perceptions than those who were further along,...

Remote hearings have 'no impacts on wider justice outcomes'

Remote hearings have little impact on either the efficiency or the effectiveness of sittings, a new evaluation by the Ministry of Justice has found. Remote participation in court hearings has been an option for years – however, out of necessity, it was during the pandemic that courts saw a rapid… A Ministry of Justice report into the impact of remote hearings on duration and outcomes has found little meaningful differences either in efficiency or effectiveness compared with in-person hearings. ...

An analysis of escalation in the severity of offending behaviour

The study was commissioned to inform risk assessment and management guidance for prison and probation practitioners, and contribute to the future development of actuarial predictors of serious reoffending risk. It revisited a 2002 study on escalation to serious offending to investigate, in an individual’s criminal history, which offences are found… A new study published by the Ministry of Justice identifies the previous offences that were more frequently committed by criminals who ‘escalated’ to very serious offending....