Are we entering a period of justice reform?
Over the last parliament the pace of change in Criminal Justice Policy became even more rapid than usual. Since the appointment of Michael Gove as Justice Secretary, it appears that the direction of policy might be changing too.
The last government:
- Privatised the probation service under the Transforming Rehabilitation initiative.
- Substantially cut the Legal Aid budget.
- Closed over 100 courts.
- Introduced a number of measures to make prison conditions more austere.
Since his appointment, Michael Gove:
- Has cancelled the building of a secure college for young offenders.
- Announced the probable closure of another 91 courts.
- Made a commitment to improve prison conditions and place a new priority on educating prisoners.
I curate a collection of digital content on Criminal Justice Policy which includes news reports, articles, blogs, video from select committees etc. using the Scoopit online curation tool.
Scoopit is fully searchable so you can find contributions from a particular source – Howard League, NAPO etc. – or follow a particular topic over time to see whether the MoJ has honoured a particular commitment.
If you would like a (free) once monthly email digest with the most recent content on what Michael Gove and the Ministry of Justice are up to (with an emphasis on the impact on prisons and probation), please Email me.
[Under no circumstances will your email address be shared with anyone, ever.]
Below is a screenshot of my Scoopit Justice Policy front page – if you click on the image, you will go straight to it and see the most recent developments:
The newsletter goes out on the 2nd Tuesday of every month.
