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10 Days Benefits Who?

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The need for immediate justice is short sighted and dangerous. In a recent case where a 62 year-old was caught by an unclothed police officer up-skirting an unknown female, he was detained and sentenced to ten days in prison less than 24 hours later. While I agree that this is a heinous breach of privacy and likely to cause anxiety and fear for the poor woman who had to suffer this unmoral and abhorrent behaviour. I am angry at the criminal justice system for concluding that a ten day jail term will be sufficient in reforming this individual. This is completely incorrect and irresponsible. Sentences of under 12 months have been proven to have the highest reoffending rates as it does not provide enough time for rehabilitation. In the ten days he will spend in a jail cell, he is unlikely to receive sufficient, if any, education or rehabilitative help such as psychologist or a therapist. As a result, it is probable that he will be released at the end of his sentence and he will return to
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The Wait for Justice is Criminal.

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According to a report published by the UK House of Lords' Select Committee on the Constitution, the case backlog in the criminal justice system has reached "crisis level". The report highlighted the significant increase in Crown Court cases from 39,000 pre pandemic, to 55,000 post (since then it has peaked at 59,532 cases). Alongside the Crown Court cases, the Magistrates backlog rose to more than 400,000 at the height of the pandemic. I believed that anyone with an ounce of logic and common sense should be able to identify that these numbers are dangerous and unsustainable. Dangerous, as a trial listed in 2023 can impact witnesses, statements, evidence and victims, often leading to cases being discontinued or thrown out; and unsustainable as people will lose faith in the criminal justice system which will ultimately lead to its demise. Obviously, this is a matter of urgency that requires a swift and efficient solution, to hold criminals accountable and to deter further c
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Gender-critical Views - A Belief or Morally Reprehensible?

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A recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) case brought by Maya Forstater, a tax expert, over the employment tribunal ruling that her tweets, including "men cannot change into women", were "not worthy of respect in a democratic society", has succeeded. Maya successfully argued that gender-critical views classify as a philosophical belief, subsequently it is a protected characteristic under s.10 of the Equality Act 2010 (EqA). Mr Justice Choudhury sided with Maya by concluding that the employment tribunal had "erred in law" and that Maya has the "right to believe ... that as a matter of biology a trans person is still their natural sex". This has, understandably, caused distress to many trans individuals who worry that this ruling enables hate speech while simultaneously eroding trans rights. Though Mr Justice Choudhury was keen to emphasise that his judgment does not express "any view on the merits of either side of the transgender debate&qu
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Rape & Recidivism

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'Rape and Recidivism', a stark title designed to draw attention. When we think of sexual offences or rape, we imagine heinous crimes committed by the worst members of society. Some, no many, would argue that rape is a crime worse than murder, as it is effectively a life sentence of psychological and physical trauma for its victims; to which I am inclined to agree. As a result, many believe that life imprisonment is the only form of justice. However, controversially, this is where our mutuality ends, as I disagree. In a recent Crown Court case, a male, who we shall name X, was convicted of historical serious sexual offences against a child. Consequently, he received an extended sentence of twelve years imprisonment and will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence before being considered for parole. His actions have changed the life of his victim as she was forced to suffer in silence and alone for years; processing the horrendous and unimaginable psychological trauma she was in
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"Tough on Crime" via Longer Sentences: Disproportionate Impact on the Poor?

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There is, perhaps, no better place to start a blog underpinned by the notion that the law is flawed, than by starting with Tony Blair's favourite political point scoring phrase, "tough on crime". This phrase is a vote-grabbing tactic that has been deployed by almost every minister seeking to win an election in the last decade, if not longer. Take Boris Johnson for example, during his campaign to become Prime Minister, he promised to get tough on crime, most importantly, to increase the severity of sentences. That is what many politicians believe getting tough on crime means; to increase sentences to ensure that those who commit crimes, from shoplifting a Mars bar to murder, will be incarcerated until the day they die. This idea appeals to the lay person who wishes to feel safe walking down the street at night, and rightly so. However, this ideology of incarceration of low level or non-violent crimes is disproportionate. What do I mean by disproportionate? Disproportionate
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Location: Pontypridd, UK
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