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Publications

We produce advocacy reports, briefing notes, consultation responses and position statements to support our policy work. Use the search box or filters to find what you're looking for, and drop us a line with any questions.

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  • Adult court matters
  • Youth court matters

Imposition Guideline

We welcome the proposed Imposition guideline and feel that its sections addressing specific offender cohorts offer valuable sentencing guidance. However, we’ve also called for comprehensive training to help magistrates navigate the lengthy guidance, and that probation services must be fully resourced and supported for effective information sharing in court and to support the guideline's implementation.
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  • Youth court matters

Youth Remand Funding

We call for better and more granular data about youth remand to ensure that proposed solutions address the reality on the ground and that their success can be monitored. We also call for greater funding for youth court services overall and voice concern about children being remanded by a Saturday court.
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  • Family court matters

Responding to allegations of alienating behaviours

Our response highlights ambiguities in the draft guidance on responding to allegations of alienating behaviours. We propose alternative wording that would ensure that allocation of cases is appropriate and does not overburden judges with cases that can be properly handled by magistrates.
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  • Diversity, disparity and inclusion

Disability action plan 2023-2024

We highlight the inadequate accessibility of magistrates’ court buildings in England and Wales. We urge the Disability Unit to focus attention on improving accessibility in magistrates' courts and related data.
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  • Wider justice system

Open justice: the way forward

We urge the government to make open justice a guiding principle in all decisions about reform and improvement. We advocate for more publicly available data, particularly data from magistrates' courts.
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  • Family court matters

Supporting earlier resolution of private family law arrangements

We support the introduction of a mandatory mediation requirement with exceptions where necessary. We call for authoritative information provision for separating families and a focus on reducing delay for children.
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  • Diversity, disparity and inclusion
  • Practicalities of being a magistrate

Proposed Blackpool courthouse

Our response highlights the need for accessibility provision based in advocacy report ‘Inaccessible courts: a barrier to inclusive justice’. We also raise the need for adequate IT provision, and distinction between family and criminal courts and waiting areas.
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  • Family court matters

Pilot practice direction for domestic abuse protection orders

Our response to suggested reforms to domestic violence prevention orders (DAPO) calls for recognition that DAPO proceedings could be exploited by abusers, for care to be taken around information sharing and confidence in perpetuator programmes.
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  • Family court matters

Early resolution of private family law arrangements

We support the proposed reforms to the mediation and information assessment meeting evidence requirements and exemptions. We call for sufficient resourcing and legal advisers to cope with the additional gatekeeping requirements.
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  • Practicalities of being a magistrate

Strategy for the magistracy

We propose improvements to the Magistrates' Leadership Executive's draft strategy for 2022–2025. We suggest changes to the recruitment and retention strategy and a separate focus on diversity and inclusion for the magistracy.
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  • Family court matters

Interim supervision order report

We support the retention of the supervision order for family public law cases. We identify a need to review the role of interim supervision orders which can lead to cases drifting and lack of adherence to the Public Law Outline.
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  • Adult court matters

Motoring offences

We call for more guidance from the Sentencing Council on disqualification in relation to motoring offences.
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  • Diversity, disparity and inclusion
  • Family court matters
  • Youth court matters

Civil society alternative report under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Our response calls for children’s rights to participation to be better realised in the family court and for reform to the current law on turning-18 in the youth jurisdiction.
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  • Domestic abuse
  • Family court matters

Practice direction for police disclosure orders in private law proceedings

We identify difficulties for litigants in person in ‘activating’ the police disclosure process. We call for courts to be empowered to make a police disclosure order of their own motion to ensure swift implementation.
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  • Adult court matters

Burglary offences guidelines

We propose the inclusion of additional harm factors and propose that there should always be an option for consideration of a community order regardless of whether drugs or alcohol are a factor in the offence.
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  • Adult court matters

Animal welfare sentencing guideline

We propose some amendments to the Sentencing Council's new guideline on animal welfare including an additional mitigating factor.
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  • Adult court matters
  • Knife and weapon crime

Underage sale of knives

We largely support the proposed changes to the Sentencing Council guideline but we propose that there could be additional culpability factors.
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  • Adult court matters

Greater London Assembly Police and Crime Committee investigation on probation

We represent our members views from across our London branches. We document a probation service across the city that is variable in terms of resource and efficiency, both inside and outside the courtroom.
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  • Adult court matters
  • Youth court matters

Independent criminal legal aid review

We call for greater funding for legal aid and oppose reliance on remote links in criminal justice. We also support the opt-out system for youth court representation and an uplift in youth court fees.
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  • Adult court matters
  • Victims

Witness intimidation

We propose additional factors that should be included in the Sentencing Council guidelines on witness intimidation, including fear and anxiety felt at home.
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