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“English Law and Descent Into Complexity”
“ENGLISH LAW AND DESCENT INTO COMPLEXITY” GRAY’S INN READING BY LORD JUSTICE HADDON-CAVE Barnard’s Inn – 17th June 2021 ABSTRACT The Rule of Law requires that the law is simple, clear and accessible. Yet English law has in become increasingly more complex, unclear and inaccessible. As modern life becomes more complex and challenging, we should pause and reflect whether this increasingly complexity is the right direction and what it means for fairness and access to justice. This lecture examines the main areas of our legal system, legislation, procedure and judgments, and seeks to identify some of the causes of complexity and considers what scope there is for creating a better, simpler and brighter future for the law. Introduction 1. I am grateful to Gresham College for inviting me to give this year’s Gray’s Inn Reading.1 It is a privilege to follow a long line of distinguished speakers from our beloved Inn, most recently, Lord Carlisle QC who spoke last year on De-radicalisation – Illusion or Reality? 2. I would like to pay tribute to the work of Gresham College and in particular to the extraordinary resource that it makes available to us all in the form of 1,800 free public lectures available online stretching back nearly 40 years to Lord Scarman’s lecture Human Rights and the Democratic Process.2 For some of us who have not got out much recently, it has been a source of comfort and stimulation, in addition to trying to figure out the BBC series Line of Duty. 3. -
DATES of TRIALS Until October 1775, and Again from December 1816
DATES OF TRIALS Until October 1775, and again from December 1816, the printed Proceedings provide both the start and the end dates of each sessions. Until the 1750s, both the Gentleman’s and (especially) the London Magazine scrupulously noted the end dates of sessions, dates of subsequent Recorder’s Reports, and days of execution. From December 1775 to October 1816, I have derived the end dates of each sessions from newspaper accounts of the trials. Trials at the Old Bailey usually began on a Wednesday. And, of course, no trials were held on Sundays. ***** NAMES & ALIASES I have silently corrected obvious misspellings in the Proceedings (as will be apparent to users who hyper-link through to the trial account at the OBPO), particularly where those misspellings are confirmed in supporting documents. I have also regularized spellings where there may be inconsistencies at different appearances points in the OBPO. In instances where I have made a more radical change in the convict’s name, I have provided a documentary reference to justify the more marked discrepancy between the name used here and that which appears in the Proceedings. ***** AGE The printed Proceedings almost invariably provide the age of each Old Bailey convict from December 1790 onwards. From 1791 onwards, the Home Office’s “Criminal Registers” for London and Middlesex (HO 26) do so as well. However, no volumes in this series exist for 1799 and 1800, and those for 1828-33 inclusive (HO 26/35-39) omit the ages of the convicts. I have not comprehensively compared the ages reported in HO 26 with those given in the Proceedings, and it is not impossible that there are discrepancies between the two. -
Padfield Wonders Aloud (Do Contact Me on [email protected])
University of Leeds Centre for Criminal Justice Studies Justice in the Criminal Courts in the 21st Century What are criminal courts for? Nicky Padfield wonders aloud (do contact me on [email protected]) VERY VERY DRAFT Introduction I am taking the opportunity as the first speaker at this conference to raise some big and/or broad questions. The paper is not as developed as I would like: I shall dig more into history, theory, law and practice in due course. But, in essence, my argument is that this big picture allows us to remember important principles. Many of the speakers who follow will focus on individual aspects of the trial process, often presenting original empirical research. Here I go back to basics. What is a trial? A public process which compels defendants to answer a charge of criminal wrongdoing. The outcome is often a serious sanction. Obviously, trials have to be fair. That does not simply mean they should not be unfair. Should we focus on ways in which public courts can promote fairness and justice, and indeed social cohesion? Swift justice has merits, but does not necessarily achieve just outcomes. Non-public ‗diversion‘ is equally dangerous. I will briefly raise some of the criminological literature on compliance, legitimacy and desistance – but speak up also for human rights and the rule of law - a big agenda! History For the purpose of this paper, I took as my starting point a series of riot trials, at three different moments in English history. Serendipitously, when the riots of 2011 were still recent, I happened upon a book called the Report of the Trials for Rioting at Ely and Littleport, 1816 (Warren, ed, 1997). -
Lancaster Castle: the Rebuilding of the County Gaol and Courts
Contrebis 2019 v37 LANCASTER CASTLE: THE REBUILDING OF THE COUNTY GAOL AND COURTS John Champness Abstract This paper details the building and rebuilding of Lancaster Castle in the late-eighteenth and early- nineteenth centuries to expand and improve the prison facilities there. Most of the present buildings in the Castle date from a major scheme of extending the County Gaol, undertaken in the last years of the eighteenth century. The principal architect was Thomas Harrison, who had come to Lancaster in 1782 after winning the competition to design Skerton Bridge (Champness 2005, 16). The scheme arose from concern about the unsatisfactory state of the Gaol which was largely unchanged from the medieval Castle (Figure 1). Figure 1. Plan of Lancaster Castle taken from Mackreth’s map of Lancaster, 1778 People had good reasons for their concern, because life in Georgian gaols was somewhat disorganised. The major reason lay in how the role of gaols had been expanded over the years in response to changing pressures. County gaols had originally been established in the Middle Ages to provide short-term accommodation for only two groups of people – those awaiting trial at the twice- yearly Assizes, and convicted criminals who were waiting for their sentences to be carried out, by hanging or transportation to an overseas colony. From the late-seventeenth century, these people were joined by debtors. These were men and women with cash-flow problems, who could avoid formal bankruptcy by forfeiting their freedom until their finances improved. During the mid- eighteenth century, numbers were further increased by the imprisonment of ‘felons’, that is, convicted criminals who had not been sentenced to death, but could not be punished in a local prison or transported. -
The Old Bailey and the Recorder of London: a Brief History
From our Patron, Simon Callow Last year I received the exceptional honour of the Freedom of the City of London. Since boyhood I have been haunted by the City, its history, its imagery, its traditions. One of the most vital of those traditions is the City's association with music. Since at least 1350, The Worshipful Company of Musicians has proudly celebrated the noble art. I vividly remember a City of London Festival when I was a youth, in which The Yeoman of the Guards was performed with full son et lumière effects at the Tower of London, and Sir William Walton was specially commissioned to write a splendid piece for the City – A Song for the Lord Mayor's Table. Since then the Barbican Concert Hall has opened, and the London Symphony Orchestra has become resident orchestra. Music is everywhere in the City, as it should be. So when last year's Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Roger and Clare Gifford, asked me become a Patron of their new charity, the City Music Foundation, I said yes straight away - not only because of the ancient association of the City with music, but because it looks so keenly to the future. Its raison d'être is to help young musicians at that critical difficult early point in their careers, right at the beginning, after their training, when they attempt to launch themselves into the world. The Foundation nurtures, encourages, and supports them at a vulnerable moment in their lives. I know very well what that feels like - young actors face exactly the same problems; sometimes really gifted, exceptional artists fall by the wayside. -
Press Freedom Under Attack
LEVESON’S ILLIBERAL LEGACY AUTHORS HELEN ANTHONY MIKE HARRIS BREAKING SASHY NATHAN PADRAIG REIDY NEWS FOREWORD BY PROFESSOR TIM LUCKHURST PRESS FREEDOM UNDER ATTACK , LEVESON S ILLIBERAL LEGACY FOREWORD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. WHY IS THE FREE PRESS IMPORTANT? 2. THE LEVESON INQUIRY, REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 A background to Leveson: previous inquiries and press complaints bodies 2.2 The Leveson Inquiry’s Limits • Skewed analysis • Participatory blind spots 2.3 Arbitration 2.4 Exemplary Damages 2.5 Police whistleblowers and press contact 2.6 Data Protection 2.7 Online Press 2.8 Public Interest 3. THE LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK – A LEGAL ANALYSIS 3.1 A rushed and unconstitutional regime 3.2 The use of statute to regulate the press 3.3 The Royal Charter and the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 • The use of a Royal Charter • Reporting to Parliament • Arbitration • Apologies • Fines 3.4 The Crime and Courts Act 2013 • Freedom of expression • ‘Provided for by law’ • ‘Outrageous’ • ‘Relevant publisher’ • Exemplary damages and proportionality • Punitive costs and the chilling effect • Right to a fair trial • Right to not be discriminated against 3.5 The Press Recognition Panel 4. THE WIDER IMPACT 4.1 Self-regulation: the international norm 4.2 International response 4.3 The international impact on press freedom 5. RECOMMENDATIONS 6. CONCLUSION 3 , LEVESON S ILLIBERAL LEGACY 4 , LEVESON S ILLIBERAL LEGACY FOREWORD BY TIM LUCKHURST PRESS FREEDOM: RESTORING BRITAIN’S REPUTATION n January 2014 I felt honour bound to participate in a meeting, the very ‘Our liberty cannot existence of which left me saddened be guarded but by the and ashamed. -
Curriculum Vitae Jonathan Fisher Qc
CURRICULUM VITAE JONATHAN FISHER QC Barrister, Queen’s Counsel Barrister law firm Bright Line Law Services Limited Central Court 25 Southampton Buildings London WC2A 1AL [email protected] brightlinelaw.co.uk OVERVIEW Jonathan Fisher QC is ranked by the UK independent barrister directories (Chambers & Partners and Legal 500) as a leading barrister in Band 1 for Proceeds of Crime / money laundering cases. He is also ranked as a leading barrister for financial crime, financial services, fraud (criminal and civil), and tax cases. The legal directories have described Jonathan as “high-flying”, “a standout barrister”, “commands huge respect”, and “in a game of chess, he would be five steps ahead.” He has represented clients in many high-profile financial crime cases, with much experience in cases involving cross-border transactions. In addition, Jonathan is a registered practitioner in the Dubai International Financial Court, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, a member of the International Bar Association’s Anti-Money Laundering Forum, an Honorary Member of the London Fraud Forum Steering Group, and Trustee of the International Lawyer’s Project. In October 2017, the Financial Times listed Jonathan as one of top 10 innovative lawyers in Europe, and his legal practice was commended for “driving value for clients” and “services to the rule of law and access to justice”. Jonathan is a Visiting Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics and General Editor of Lloyds Law Reports: Financial Crime. His views are sought frequently by the media. ‘HE IS TOUGH YET CHARMING ADVOCATE, WITH A COMPELLING COURTROOM PRESENCE THAT COMMANDS JUDICIAL RESPECT.’ (Legal 500 Bar Directory, 2021) 1 CURRICULUM VITAE JONATHAN FISHER QC APPOINTMENTS Recent court ▪ National Crime Agency v Riza Aziz, Red Granite Pictures Inc cases & Z Limited [2020] High Court of Justice (POCA prohibition order restraining assets, extension of SAR moratorium period). -
Court Reform in England
Comments COURT REFORM IN ENGLAND A reading of the Beeching report' suggests that the English court reform which entered into force on 1 January 1972 was the result of purely domestic considerations. The members of the Commission make no reference to the civil law countries which Great Britain will join in an important economic and political regional arrangement. Yet even a cursory examination of the effects of the reform on the administration of justice in England and Wales suggests that English courts now resemble more closely their counterparts in Western Eu- rope. It should be stated at the outset that the new organization of Eng- lish courts is by no means the result of the 1971 Act alone. The Act crowned the work of various legislative measures which have brought gradual change for a period of well over a century, including the Judicature Acts 1873-75, the Interpretation Act 1889, the Supreme Court of Judicature (Consolidation) Act 1925, the Administration of Justice Act 1933, the County Courts Act 1934, the Criminal Appeal Act 1966 and the Criminal Law Act 1967. The reform culminates a prolonged process of response to social change affecting the legal structure in England. Its effect was to divorce the organization of the courts from tradition and history in order to achieve efficiency and to adapt the courts to new tasks and duties which they must meet in new social and economic conditions. While the earlier acts, including the 1966 Criminal Appeal Act, modernized the structure of the Supreme Court of Judicature, the 1971 Act extended modern court structure to the intermediate level, creating the new Crown Court, and provided for the regular admin- istration of justice in civil matters by the High Court in England and Wales, outside the Royal Courts in London. -
English Law and Descent Into Complexity Gray's Inn Reading
English Law and Descent into Complexity Gray’s Inn Reading Lord Justice Haddon-Cave 17 June 2021 Abstract The Rule of Law requires that the law is simple, clear and accessible. Yet English law has in become increasingly more complex, unclear and inaccessible. As modern life becomes more complex and challenging, we should pause and reflect whether this increasingly complexity is the right direction and what it means for fairness and access to justice. This lecture examines the main areas of our legal system, legislation, procedure and judgments, and seeks to identify some of the causes of complexity and considers what scope there is for creating a better, simpler and brighter future for the law. Introduction I am grateful to Gresham College for inviting me to give this year’s Gray’s Inn Reading.1 It is a privilege to follow a long line of distinguished speakers from our beloved Inn, most recently, Lord Carlisle QC who spoke last year on De-radicalisation – Illusion or Reality? I would like to pay tribute to the work of Gresham College and in particular to the extraordinary resource that it makes available to us all in the form of 1,800 free public lectures available online stretching back nearly 40 years to Lord Scarman’s lecture Human Rights and the Democratic Process.2 For some of us who have not got out much recently, it has been a source of comfort and stimulation, in addition to trying to figure out the BBC series Line of Duty. The slightly provocative but I think accurate title for my talk this evening is: “English Law and Descent into Complexity”.3 The great Ernst Friedrich Schumacher4 said: “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. -
Implications of Abrogating the Role of the Aldermen As Justices of the Peace
Committee: Date: 2 December 2016 Courts Sub (Policy and Resources) Committee Subject: Public The City of London and the Magistracy Report of: For Information Remembrancer Report Author: Paul Double Introductory Note 1. The paper annexed responds to a request that a report on the constitutional background to the City‘s relationship with the Magistracy be submitted to this subcommittee. This background is primarily referable to the Aldermen although non Aldermanic magistrates are now in the main responsible for summary justice in the City‘s Magistrates‘ Courts. Experience with the botched exercise of reforming the office of Lord Chancellor demonstrated (if demonstration were needed) that making changes to a constitutional settlement of centuries standing without a detailed analysis of the landscape is likely to be a cause of difficulty. That is not to say, of course, that change should not be entertained; as is well known, the City has only survived by a process of canny evolution and its evolving relationship with the administration of justice is a good example of this process at work. 2. For completeness the paper includes reference to the significant change to the position of Aldermen as magistrates introduced by the Access to Justice Act 1999, and the subsequent Act of Common Council by which the mandatory linkage to the magistracy was ended. It does not, however, deal with the aspect of that Act which related to the position of Lord Mayor as Chief Magistrate. The 1999 Act broke the link between the office of Chief Magistrate and Bench Chairman in the City, a link which had been mistakenly introduced by the Justices of the Peace Act 1968. -
CPS Sussex Overall Performance Assessment Undertaken August 2007
CPS Sussex Overall Performance Assessment Undertaken August 2007 Promoting Improvement in Criminal Justice HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate CPS Sussex Overall Performance Assessment Undertaken August 2007 Promoting Improvement in Criminal Justice HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate CPS Sussex Overall Performance Assessment Report 2007 ABBREVIATIONS Common abbreviations used in this report are set out below. Local abbreviations are explained in the report. ABM Area Business Manager HMCPSI Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate ABP Area Business Plan JDA Judge Directed Acquittal AEI Area Effectiveness Inspection JOA Judge Ordered Acquittal ASBO Anti-Social Behaviour Order JPM Joint Performance Monitoring BCU Basic Command Unit or Borough Command Unit LCJB Local Criminal Justice Board BME Black and Minority Ethnic MAPPA Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements CCP Chief Crown Prosecutor MG3 Form on which a record of the CJA Criminal Justice Area charging decision is made CJS Criminal Justice System NCTA No Case to Answer CJSSS Criminal Justice: Simple, Speedy, NRFAC Non Ring-Fenced Administrative Summary Costs CJU Criminal Justice Unit NWNJ No Witness No Justice CMS Case Management System OBTJ Offences Brought to Justice CPIA Criminal Procedure and OPA Overall Performance Assessment Investigations Act PCD Pre-Charge Decision CPO Case Progression Officer PCMH Plea and Case Management Hearing CPS Crown Prosecution Service POCA Proceeds of Crime Act CPSD CPS Direct PTPM Prosecution Team Performance CQA Casework -
Sheriffs' & Recorder's Fund
SHERIFFS’ & RECORDER’S FUND Annual Report 2018-2019 The Fund was established by the Sheriffs of the City of London in 1808 The Sheriffs’ & Recorder’s Fund In 1808 the two Sheriffs of the City of London set up a fund to help prisoners living in appalling conditions in Newgate, and their families. In 1931 the Fund merged with the fund set up by the Recorder to assist offenders released on probation. The Sheriffs’ & Recorder’s Fund still plays a vital part in preventing re-offending. In prison today: • The prison population has risen by 77% in the last 30 years. England & Wales has the highest imprisonment rate in Western Europe. • Assault rates among children in custody average 228 assaults a month. • 43% of prisons received a negative rating from inspectors in 2017-18 for purposeful activity work. In many prisons work remains mundane, repetitive and rarely linked to resettlement objectives. • 54% of those entering prison were assessed as having literacy skills expected of an 11-year-old (general population: 15%). • The number of women in prison has doubled since 1993. On release: • On release prisoners receive £46 – a sum unchanged since 1997 (with inflation, the equivalent today is £82.34). • 50% of respondents to a 2016 YouGov survey said they would not consider employing an offender or ex-offender • 48% of adults are reconvicted within one year of release (64% of those serving sentences of less than 12 months). Working in an office in the Old Bailey provided by the Corporation of London, the Fund gives small grants to ex-prisoners and their families in Greater London to buy essentials: clothes for a job interview, a training course, tools of trade, household equipment.