The Scottish Government published a Bill designed to make it lawful, in certain circumstances, to assist another to commit suicide.
Source: Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | BBC report
Date: 2013-Nov
An inspectorate report in Northern Ireland said that the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission, in its existing context, was unable to meet the expectations of its oversight bodies. The report called for reform of the Commission in order to address legal aid costs and inefficiencies.
Source: A Corporate Governance Inspection of the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission, Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland
Links: Report | CJINI press release | DOJNI press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report by a committee of MPs examined the government's proposed block opt-out of European Union criminal law and policing measures.
Source: The UK's Block Opt-Out of Pre-Lisbon Criminal Law and Policing Measures, Twenty-first Report (Session 2013–14), HC 683, House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report summarized responses to a consultation by the Scottish Government on redesigning the community justice system.
Source: Reid Howie Associates, Redesigning the Community Justice System: Analysis of consultation responses, Scottish Government
Date: 2013-Oct
The Home Office published a strategy on serious and organized crime.
Source: Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, Cm 8715, Home Office, TSO
Links: Strategy | Home Office press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A briefing paper examined the debates that took place on the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill in the House of Commons at report stage and third reading. It identified amendments made to the Bill at report stage and highlighted some of the conclusions of the report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights with regard to each part of the Bill.
Source: Dorothy Hughes, Matthew Purvis, and Russell Taylor, Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill (HL Bill 52 of 2013 14), Standard Note LLN 2013/029, House of Lords Library
Links: Briefing paper
Date: 2013-Oct
The College of Policing began consultation on a draft code of ethics for the police service in England and Wales. The consultation would close on 29 November 2013.
Source: Draft Code of Ethics: Principles and standards of professional behaviour for the police forces of England and Wales, College of Policing
Links: Consultation document | College of Policing press release | ACPO press release
Date: 2013-Oct
The government published its response to a consultation on direct entry into policing. It announced imminent introduction of the policy, with a review after 5 years.
Source: Direct Entry in the Police: Government response, Home Office
Links: Response | Home Office press release | Hansard | Police Federation comment
Date: 2013-Oct
A report by a committee of MPs said that it had examined Protocol 36 to the Treaty of Lisbon and the list of measures to which the government would opt back in following its exercise of the opt out. The report highlighted areas of agreement and reservation and called for an early debate in the House.
Source: Ministry of Justice Measures in the JHA Block Opt-Out, Eighth Report (Session 2013-14), HC 605, House of Commons Justice Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
A briefing paper examined the ongoing debate on drugs policy in the context of the two reports: the report of the Home Affairs Select Committee on drugs policy (HC 184, session 2012 13); and the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform, published in January 2013.
Source: Debate on 17 October: Drugs policy, Library Note LLN 2013/026, House of Lords Library
Links: Briefing paper
Date: 2013-Oct
A report by a committee of peers said that it had examined Protocol 36 to the Treaty of Lisbon and the list of measures to which the government would opt back in following its exercise of the opt out. The report said that the list of opt in measures did not go far enough, and highlighted the possible substantive and reputational damage of not seeking to rejoin other measures. The report said that the government should seek to rejoin the 35 measures that had already been identified, but also seek to rejoin further measures across five areas.
Source: Follow-up Report on EU Police and Criminal Justice Measures: The UK s 2014 opt-out decision, Fifth Report (Session 2013-14), HL 69, House of Lords European Union Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Evidence | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Oct
The government began consultation on further proposals designed to make it harder to bring applications for judicial review in England.
Source: Judicial Review: Proposals for Further Reform, Cm 8703, Ministry of Justice, TSO
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | Bar Council press release
Date: 2013-Sep
A new book examined values in crime theory and criminal justice. It considered issues such as race, gender, age, research methods and ethics, the green movement, and Islamophobia.
Source: Malcolm Cowburn, Marian Duggan, Anne Robinson, and Paul Senior (eds), Values in Criminology and Community Justice, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Aug
The Home Office published its annual report for 2012-13.
Source: Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13, HC 21, Home Office, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jul
The coalition government confirmed that the United Kingdom would opt out of European Union policing and criminal justice measures adopted before the Lisbon Treaty came into force. It would seek to rejoin only those measures that helped the UK to co-operate with its European neighbours to combat cross-border crime. One of these was the European arrest warrant, subject to additional safeguards for those faced by extradition requests. The UK would also seek to rejoin the existing Europol directive and Eurojust, which helped to co-ordinate action to tackle serious cross-border crime: but it would not participate in the establishment of any European public prosecutor.
Source: Debate 9 July 2013, columns 177-193, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Jul
A new book presented studies in comparative European criminology. Five chapters offered historical, theoretical, and policy-oriented overviews of European issues in crime and crime control. Seven chapters looked at different dimensions of crime in Europe, including crime trends, state crime, gender and crime, and urban safety. Fifteen chapters examined the variety of institutional responses, exploring issues such as policing, juvenile justice, punishment, 'green crime', and the role of the victim.
Source: Sophie Body-Gendrot, Mike Hough, Klara Kerezsi, Rene Levy, and Sonja Snacken (eds), The Routledge Handbook of European Criminology, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jul
The Ministry of Justice published its annual report for 2012-13.
Source: Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13, HC 22, Ministry of Justice, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jun
A new book examined penal policy in Europe, focusing on the interaction of European academic penology and national practice with European policies as developed by the Council of Europe and, increasingly, by the European Union.
Source: Tom Daems, Dirk van Zyl Smit, and Sonja Snacken (eds), European Penology?, Hart Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-May
A new textbook examined the interface between crime and social policy. It considered the multiplicity of influences that shaped the formulation and delivery of crime control policies, the changing nature of government and governance in neo-liberal societies, and the enhanced role of the welfare state in 'solving' crime 'problems'. Policy examples included the resettlement of prisoners, problem drug use, and 'troubled' families.
Source: Emma Wincup, Understanding Crime and Social Policy, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-May
The Crime and Courts Act 2013 was given Royal assent. A National Crime Agency would be created to take the lead on organized crime, enhance border security, and fight cyber crime. Television cameras would be allowed into courtrooms 'in limited circumstances'.
Source: Crime and Courts Act 2013, Ministry of Justice, TSO
Links: Act | Explanatory notes | MOJ press release
Date: 2013-Apr
A report by a committee of peers said that coalition government plans to opt out of 130 European Union police and criminal justice measures could weaken the United Kingdom's ability to fight crime. Coalition ministers had failed to make a convincing case for repatriating the powers.
Source: EU Police and Criminal Justice Measures: The UK s 2014 opt-out decision, 13th Report (Session 2012-13), HL 159, House of Lords European Union Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Bar Council press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Apr
A think-tank report said that the police could save money and offer a better service to the public by closing out-of-date police stations and opening more local police offices in shopping centres and other popular public locations.
Source: Martin Innes, Rebooting the PC: Using innovation to drive smart policing, Policy Exchange
Links: Report | Policy Exchange press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Apr
The coalition government announced (following a short consultation over the Christmas holiday) a series of measures designed to make it harder to bring applications for judicial review in England, including new fees and time limits.
Source: Reform of Judicial Review: The Government Response, Cm 8611, Ministry of Justice, TSO
Links: Response to consultation | Hansard | MOJ press release | HOC research brief | BPF press release | IER press release | UKHR blog post | BBC report | Guardian report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Notes: Consultation document (December 2012)
Date: 2013-Apr
The Crime and Courts Bill was given a third reading. A National Crime Agency would be created to take the lead on organized crime, enhance border security, and fight cyber crime. Television cameras would be allowed into courtrooms 'in limited circumstances'.
Source: Crime and Courts Bill [HL], Ministry of Justice, TSO | Debate 18 March 2013, columns 697-764, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | HOC research brief
Date: 2013-Mar
A report examined developments in criminal justice during the period May 2011 to April 2012. Spending on law and order had fallen by 10 per cent in the first two years of the coalition government.
Source: Richard Garside and Arianna Silvestri, UK Justice Policy Review: Volume 2, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (King's College London)
Links: Report (link) | CCJS press release | SNP press release
Date: 2013-Mar
A report compared the effectiveness of prison terms and community sentences in preventing crime. It said that an excessive focus within the criminal justice system on containing risk precluded rehabilitation strategies that promised more success in changing lives and reducing crime.
Source: Mike Hough, Stephen Farrall, and Fergus McNeill, Intelligent Justice: Balancing the effects of community sentences and custody, Howard League for Penal Reform
Links: Report | HLPR press release
Date: 2013-Feb
A special edition of a journal examined trends in European policy on criminal law.
Source: New Journal of European Criminal Law, Volume 3 Issue 3-4
Links: Abstracts
Date: 2013-Feb
A new book examined the principles and values that should guide and limit the state's use of preventive techniques involving coercion against the individual. It considered whether and when preventive measures were justified, whether within or outwith the criminal law, and whether they signalled a larger change in the architecture of security.
Source: Andrew Ashworth, Lucia Zedner, and Patrick Tomlin (eds), Prevention and the Limits of the Criminal Law, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Feb
The Crime and Courts Bill was given a second reading. A National Crime Agency would be created to take the lead on organized crime, enhance border security, and fight cyber crime. Television cameras would be allowed into courtrooms 'in limited circumstances'.
Source: Crime and Courts Bill [HL], Ministry of Justice, TSO | Debate 14 January 2013, columns 633-706, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | PRT briefing | HOC research brief
Date: 2013-Jan
A report examined policies and practices relating to 'organizational integrity' in the police service. Action was needed to ensure that common standards – standards that were robust, clear and consistent – were embedded across forces.
Source: Peter Wilkinson, Benchmarking Police Integrity Programmes, Association of Chief Police Officers
Links: Report | ACPO press release
Date: 2013-Jan
A study sought to develop the concept of the 'social harm' caused by crime and anti-social behaviour in Wales, by establishing a robust definition and mapping its distribution and intensity. Social harm was defined as the negative impact of crime and disorder on communities' and neighbourhoods' security, well-being, and resilience. The study found that levels of harm varied markedly between different areas, and did not necessarily correspond to levels of crime.
Source: Martin Innes and Charlotte Leigh, Mapping and Measuring the Social Harms of Crime and Antisocial Behaviour: Toward an outcomes-based approach to community safety in Wales, Welsh Government
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jan
A new book presented an overview of the laws and policies adopted to address organized crime in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It assessed the degree to which these justice systems had been recalibrated, in terms of the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of organized criminality.
Source: Liz Campbell, Responding to Organised Crime in the UK and Ireland: Criminal justice in crisis, Hart Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jan