The Law Show

• The court delays crisis

  When the Labour government came to power in 2024, it faced a crisis in the criminal courts, with ever-longer delays and a growing backlog of cases. The Ministry of Justice's budget is now one third higher in real terms than in 2019, but according to the latest figures, crown court cases that are yet to be heard reached a record high of 78,329. In October, the Justice Secretary David Lammy promised extra funding to increase the number of days that English and Welsh courts will sit next year. But is throwing money at the problem enough? How can the courts service be improved, and should jury trials be limited to help clear the backlog?Also in the programme: Protests in support of the banned group Palestine Action could result in trials for as many as 2100 people - so how do courts deal with a sudden influx of cases? And are UK laws fair to football fans? Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan Editor: Tom Bigwood Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte RowlesContributors: Claire Waxman, Victims Commissioner designate, Riel Karmy-Jones KC, Chair of the Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales, Dr Steven Cammiss, Associate Professor in Law at the University of Birmingham, Professor Geoff Pearson, Professor of Law, University of Manchester.

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• Immigration and the law - who stays? Who goes?

  Immigration has dominated headlines for months, but what UK laws cover this most emotive of issues? When someone arrives here, what are the legal routes they have to take if they want to stay in the UK? What's the legal difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee? What does "indefinite leave to remain" mean? And what's the difference between being deported, being removed and being extradited? How do immigration hearings work? Are our immigration laws fit for purpose, and do they enable us to remove people when required? Also on the programme: How will the government's digital ID plans help curb illegal immigration? and wigs in court; as the bar council updates dress advice for its members, we ask two barristers if wigs have had their day. Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan Editor: Tom Bigwood Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte RowlesContributors Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford Paul Gulbenkian, solicitor at OTS solicitors and former immigration Judge Morgan Wild, Chief Policy Adviser, Labour Together Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe, barrister at 23 Essex Street chambers Benet Brandreth KC, barrister at 11 South Square chambers

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• How can avoidable deaths be prevented?

  The phrase “State related deaths” might mean little to the average person, but it's an umbrella term referring to a death in custody or a mental health setting. It also applies to situations when people have taken their own lives while in the armed forces or even to disasters like Grenfell or Hillsborough. What all these have in common is that they are followed by inquests or public inquiries, where investigators or coroners try to work out what caused the deaths. Public inquiries are set up to draw conclusions and release their findings, and coroners are required to write a "Prevention of Future Deaths" report when there are lessons to be learned. Hundreds of these PFD reports are released in England and Wales each year - yet there is no system in place to ensure preventative changes are made. In Scotland, the equivalent is a Fatal Accident Inquiry. It's held by a procurator fiscal - and not a coroner - in front of a sheriff, and has a wider remit than an inquest. It too, can flag up systemic failures that led to a death, and precautions that should be made in future. So should the UK have a body that ensures these warnings are heeded?Also on the programme: The government has welcomed Law Commission reforms to Wills - which includes new protections against so-called "predatory marriages". And the Supreme Court case which could change the rules for all divorces in England and Wales. Presenter: Joelle Grogan Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles Editor: Tara McDermottContributors: Deborah Coles, Director of the charity Inquest Kate Stone, barrister at Garden Court North chambers Alexander Learmonth KC, barrister at New Square chambers Tracey Moloney, Moloney Family solicitors

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• Should killers be forced to attend sentencing hearings?

  The Victims and Courts Bill is progressing through Parliament, and will force convicted criminals to attend their sentencing hearings. If criminals convicted of the most serious offences in England or Wales refuse to attend, or are disruptive in court, they will face an extra two years in prison. There are other sanctions too, including missing out on family visits.‘Reasonable force’ can also be used to get criminals to attend. The families of three women killed in London - Sabina Nessa, Jan Mustafa and Zara Aleena - have been campaigning for a new law. In each case, the men who murdered their loved ones refused to come to their sentencing hearings. Their families are not alone; the mother of 9 year old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was fatally shot in August 2022, has also been calling for a change in the law. The man who murdered her daughter also refused to come to court to be sentenced. But will the changes improve the court system for the families of victims? Also on the programme: The first purely-AI legal service has been given the go ahead in England and Wales - what does it mean for the UK legal sector? And who gets the dog? Why all couples might want to consider a "pet-nup" in case they split up.Presenter: Joelle Grogan Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles Editor Tara McDermott Contributors Charlie Sherrard KC, criminal justice barrister and judge Claire Waxman, Victim's Commissioner for London Dr Giulia Gentile, Department of Law, University of Essex and expert on AI and digital regulation Samantha Woodham, barrister and co-founder of The Divorce Surgery.

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• Wrongful convictions: why private prosecutions face reform

  Wrongful convictions in the Post Office scandal and for train fare evasion have been described by the Government as ‘catastrophic failures’, and it's held a consultation in England and Wales to reform private prosecutions. It covers private prosecutions brought by organisations, and also, the SJP - the single justice procedure - where a minor criminal offence is decided by a magistrate behind closed doors. Tens of thousands of rail fines have been quashed, after train companies were found to have misused the SJP system. So how should private prosecutions be reformed? Also on the programme: how "No Further Action" and police cautions can leave a lasting mark on safeguarding and criminal records checks. (Note that in Scotland, the nearest equivalent to a police caution is a Procurator Fiscal warning which is usually issued for low level offences such as street drinking or breach of the peace).Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles Editors: Tara McDermott and Nick Holland Contributors: Dr Jonathan Rogers, part of the campaign group Criminal Justice Reform Now and Co-Deputy Director of the Cambridge Centre for Criminal Justice Tristan Kirk court correspondent at the London Evening Standard Nathalie Potter head of DBS at Olliers solicitors in Manchester

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