Widespread distrust among British-born Black, Asian and Minority ethnic (BAME) people towards the British justice system is undermining the legitimacy of our criminal courts. This report looks at the origins of the lack of trust in the system, why perceptions of fairness and trust in the justice system matter and what can be done to improve the experience of court for BAME defendants.
People released from prison face myriad obstacles on the hard road towards a new life. They will need to overcome a shortage of affordable housing, mistrust and discrimination from employers, and a complex and inflexible benefits system. This report looks at how social welfare advice services such as Citizens Advice Bureaus, Law Centres and independent advice providers can help.
This consultation response supports the greater adoption of technology by the courts and the moves to streamline court with a number of important caveats, centred around ensuring that the rule of law and public confidence in the courts is maintained.
This paper sets out a plan for designing innovations that may improve outcomes for young adults in court, develop with support from the Barrow Cadbury Trust through their Transition to Adulthood Alliance. Our report explores the feasibility of establishing specialist court sittings for young adults.
Our report sets out a new blueprint, in which we resolve simple cases outside of court, refocus our resources on finding better ways for courts to handle to complex cases and safeguard vulnerable victims, and create a culture of innovation by modernising the way in which are courts are run.
In this case study, we look at one example of an at-court advice and support service, the Community Advice and Support Service (CASS) in Plymouth Magistrates’ Court, a court which serves a city with a disproportionate number of high-crime communities. This report describes the work of CASS and provides emerging evidence of its efficacy.
This report, sets out why procedural fairness matters for courts, explains the factors which affect whether people feel fairly treated and puts forward some practical ideas on what courts can do about to improve it. It is intended as a practical resource for people working in courts, as well as a guide to research in this area.
