North Eastern Circuit Leader, Caroline Goodwin KC
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@NECircuitleader
Leader of the North Eastern Circuit (@ne_circuit)
Next week the Courts and Tribunals Bill will have its second reading. I look forward to engaging in debate on the future of our justice system. There will be the usual time for full parliamentary scrutiny. Throughout the debate I hope that everyone has, in their mind, victims
, waiting years for their day in court, who will be watching on. Let us, as parliamentarians, have a full and frank debate but one that treats victims and their experiences with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Want to understand our plans to reform the criminal justice system? I spoke to Rachel Cunliffe @NewStatesman about what our Courts Bill actually means and why it matters. Listen at the link below ⬇️ open.spotify.com/episode/2wdHfT…
The state of the justice system is best measure of the fairness of a society. Coronavirus must not be used an excuse to abandon jury trials. The opportunity to be judged by 12 peers is a vital to prevent bias and ensure justice. channel4.com/news/the-secre…
I’ve written to every Member of Parliament today. Proposals before Parliament would remove jury trials from offences carrying up to three years in prison. Freedoms rarely vanish overnight. They are chipped away in the name of efficiency. Juries did not cause the crisis in our courts. Removing them will not fix it. When the state seeks to take someone’s liberty for serious offences, the judgment of ordinary citizens should never be optional. This is close to becoming law. Please read the letter. Contact your MP now.
Next week the Courts and Tribunals Bill will have its second reading. I look forward to engaging in debate on the future of our justice system. There will be the usual time for full parliamentary scrutiny. Throughout the debate I hope that everyone has, in their mind, victims
“This is an affront to justice.” Andrew Thomas KC, vice-chair of the Criminal Bar Association, said the bill would mean “ordinary people will be priced out of justice”. He said trials with unrepresented defendants could actually take longer, adding: “So much for swift justice.” Today’s @thetimes by Sunday Times special correspondent @emilydugan He said: “This is an affront to justice. It risks miscarriages of justice for middle-income people from hardworking families who earn too much to qualify for legal aid but not enough to afford to pay a lawyer to represent them in a three or four-day trial. It also means that complainants will face being cross-examined by the very people who they allege abused or assaulted them.”
