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A scheme to release offenders early has been massively expanded because of a lack of space in prisons, the government has announced. It means prisoner.
Decades of cuts to legal aid have led to an exodus from the profession, with junior barristers earning as little as £12,000 annually despite some working a 70-hour week.
By Monidipa Fouzder2021-01-20T20:04:00+00:00
Lawyers and trade unions have joined forces to tell HM Courts & Tribunals Service boss Kevin Sadler to step up safety measures at court or face a ‘political, legal and industrial’ response.
The statement calling for action has been signed by the Criminal Bar Association, Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association, London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association, Solicitors’ Association of Higher Courts Advocates, Public and Commercial Services Union, FDA (a union representing Crown Prosecution Service prosecutors), National Association of Probation Officers and Family Courts, and Prison, Correctional and Secure Psychiatric Workers.
The bodies call for an immediate review of safety arrangements across the court estate amid growing concerns that the buildings are not, as HMCTS has repeatedly claimed, ‘Covid secure’.