Criminal Justice and Fair Trial

Perpetual Life Sentences, Reformation and the Indian Supreme Court

Perpetual Life Sentences, Reformation and the Indian Supreme Court

It is trite to say, or so we hope, that a retributive criminal justice system has no place in a society conceived from the idea that human rights in general,...
Restricting Receipt of Rehabilitative Resources: The Prisoner Book Ban

Restricting Receipt of Rehabilitative Resources: The Prisoner Book Ban

New prison service rules prohibit prisoners in England and Wales from receiving books and essentials from the outside world. The imposition of a sweeping restriction on family and friends sending...
Throwing Away The Key – Whole Life Sentences in the Court of Appeal

Throwing Away The Key – Whole Life Sentences in the Court of Appeal

Flouting the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Vinter v UK, the UK Court of Appeal has held that whole life sentences do not violate Article...
Court of Appeal Affirms Ability to Pass Whole Life Tariffs for Murder

Court of Appeal Affirms Ability to Pass Whole Life Tariffs for Murder

A specially constituted five-member Court of Appeal has ruled unanimously in R v McLoughlin that the imposition of a ‘whole life order’ for murder not does violate Article 3 ECHR....
Indian Supreme Court Changes Stance on Death Penalty: Holds Delay to be a Ground for Commutation

Indian Supreme Court Changes Stance on Death Penalty: Holds Delay to be a Ground for Commutation

Recently, in the case of Shatrughan Chauhan v. Union of India, a three-judge bench of the Indian Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment on the death penalty: holding, in particular,...
Equal Treatment for All…Except the Highest?

Equal Treatment for All…Except the Highest?

A recent resolution of Member States of the International Criminal Court (ICC) puts into question their commitment to respect the fundamental right of equality for all embedded within Article 1...
Prosecuting in the Public Interest: CPS Guidelines from Assisted Suicide to Social Media

Prosecuting in the Public Interest: CPS Guidelines from Assisted Suicide to Social Media

Although the DPP’s consent is required before a prosecution for assisted suicide can be brought, the discretion whether to prosecute or not exists in all cases. In this post, drawn...
The UN Sanctions Regime Against Terrorists: Suggested Changes

The UN Sanctions Regime Against Terrorists: Suggested Changes

The current UN sanctions regime against terrorists does not secure due process rights. Allowing the International Criminal Court to deal with these cases would be a preferable solution, as it...
A Step Closer to Secret Justice?

A Step Closer to Secret Justice?

The recent case of CF v Security Service provides an early indication of how the courts will treat the newly-implemented Justice and Security Act 2013. The claimants in this case...
Secret Executions in India: Another Reason to Rethink the Death Penalty

Secret Executions in India: Another Reason to Rethink the Death Penalty

Secret executions of death row prisoners are increasingly becoming the order of the day in India. At least three (two ‘successful’, one failed) have been attempted in the last few...
R v D: an Imperfect, yet Promising, Approach to the Treatment of the Niqaab in Court

R v D: an Imperfect, yet Promising, Approach to the Treatment of the Niqaab in Court

Debate has recently been ignited in the UK about whether Muslim veils can be accommodated in court, stemming from Judge Peter Murphy’s decision in R v D. In her post...
The Queen v D(R): Wearing a Veil During Proceedings in Crown Court

The Queen v D(R): Wearing a Veil During Proceedings in Crown Court

In a recent Crown Court case The Queen v. D(R), His Honour Judge Murphy had to rule on whether a defendant charged with witness intimidation should be allowed to keep...
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