What's driving the decline in alcohol-related violence?

A fascinating new report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) explores recent patterns in alcohol-related violence. In England and Wales, official statistics on alcohol-related violence are drawn from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) – an annual nationally representative household survey capturing experiences of victimisation in the… Recent declines in alcohol consumption among young people is one of a number of factors identified in new research ...

Prison population projected to soar

The latest official prison population projections published today by the Ministry of Justice and the Office for National Statistics demonstrate the uncertainties at the heart of our criminal justice system. The headline figures are confusing, to say the least: The prison population is projected to increase, with a central estimate… The projected rise is partly driven by rising police officer numbers which are expected to increase charge volumes ...

Court reform has put justice system under pressure

The programme, which has costs £1.3bn is nearing its end. However, despite increasing its budget to reduce the risk of missing deadlines, His Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) does not expect to be able to deliver the programme to its current timetable and scope. Progress Since the NAO’s last… The National Audit Office’s (NAO) latest report on the government’s court reform programme, published today, paints a mixed picture....

New research on rape convictions

New research, published today in the Criminal Law Review, provides the first detailed analysis of all charges, pleas and outcomes in rape and other sexual offences in England and Wales from 2007 through 2021. The research was carried out by Cheryl Thomas KC (hon), professor of judicial studies at University… It examines a dataset of over 5.6 million charges and all 68,863 jury verdicts by deliberation on rape charges over a 15-year period....

A growing resource for criminal justice professionals

Two years ago the Butler Trust launched a new resource aimed at everyone who works in a criminal justice setting. The Knowledge Exchange is an online library of guidance and examples of best practice. The resource encourages users to suggest examples of best practice and guidance and allows users to… An online library of best practice in the custodial, probation and youth justice systems ...

Justice system still struggling

Today’s publication of the quarterly Criminal Justice Statistics by the Ministry of Justice make it clear just how badly the justice system is struggling. The data, which covers the period up to the end of last September, gives information about activity at every point in the system. Prosecutions and Convictions… The main area of concern is that Crown Courts, who deal with all our more serious offences, are going backwards...

Homicide rates increase and are back up to pre-pandemic levels

Homicide returned to pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels, with 696 victims in the latest year; this is 130 more (a 23% increase) than the year ending March 2021 when government restrictions meant there was less social contact. The homicide rate was 11.7 per million population, with the rate for males (16.9… The Office for National Statistics has today published its annual statistics on homicides in England and Wales which covers the period up to the end of March 2022....

Racial disparity in decisions to prosecute

We have known for many years that there is an over-representation of ethnic minorities within the criminal justice system with much of the evidence contained in the 2017 Review undertaken by David Lammy MP. The review noted the greatest disparities appeared at the point of stop and search, custodial remands… The Crown Prosecution Service has today published research which has found that Black and minority ethnic defendants are significantly more likely to be charged for a comparable offence than white British defendants in England and Wales....

Updated Probation workforce strategy: filling the gaps

The strategy sets out HMPPS’ ambition for a “more positive, inclusive, and diverse” probation workforce and the steps to be taken to achieve this. Since the strategy was first published, the government’s Transforming Rehabilitation privatisation project has been reversed and the Probation Service has been re-unified. This move (which was… Given the probation service’s chronic staffing problems, it’s not surprising that His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has today published an updated workforce strategy covering the next three years....

Vulnerable women held in “appalling conditions”

Today’s inspection report into the Eastwood Park prison/young offender institution for women makes for horrific reading. Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, was blunt in his summary of the report: “Some of the most vulnerable women across the prison estate were held in an environment wholly unsuitable for their therapeutic… Inspectors gave Eastwood Park prison the lowest rating for safety which is very unusual for a women’s establishment....