Product Description
British criminal justice is reputed to be the best in the world yet everywhere it is under threat from politicians, from bureaucrats, even from some members of the public who do not value its principles. By focusing on changes in some fundamental areas like the right to silence under police questioning, the treatment of witnesses, court procedures and sentencing practices this book shows how the principles of criminal justice are under attack. The discretion of judges and magistrates is being circumscribed. Juries are told what to think. Courts are given rigid guidelines for sentencing and told that they must be followed. Centuries of our Common Law are ignored in sweeping changes to the laws on evidence. Feminists threaten to distort the criminal courts' treatment of cases involving sexual misconduct and domestic violence, while draconian rules of procedure have been introduced in an attempt to increase the number of convictions. This is a practical book, of interest to lawyers but written in a style that should ensure it is accessible to interested citizens everywhere. British justice is a treasure that needs to be preserved. It is too important just to be left to politicians and legal bureaucrats and committees.
About the Author:
Jan Davies is a solicitor who has been practising in the criminal courts since 1983. She has been regularly advising in police stations and appearing in magistrates and crown courts, and spent five and a half years as a crown prosecutor. She is the author of The Reform of Criminal Legal Aid (published by the Social Affairs Unit), of The Criminal Advocate's Survival Guide and of numerous articles. An enthusiastic linguist, she speaks five European languages and is currently learning Polish. She is married and lives in Berkshire.
About the Author:
Jan Davies is a solicitor who has been practising in the criminal courts since 1983. She has been regularly advising in police stations and appearing in magistrates and crown courts, and spent five and a half years as a crown prosecutor. She is the author of The Reform of Criminal Legal Aid (published by the Social Affairs Unit), of The Criminal Advocate's Survival Guide and of numerous articles. An enthusiastic linguist, she speaks five European languages and is currently learning Polish. She is married and lives in Berkshire.
About the Author
Jan Davies is a solicitor who has been practising in the criminal courts since 1983. She has been regularly advising in police stations and appearing in magistrates and crown courts, and spent five and a half years as a crown prosecutor. She is the author of The Reform of Criminal Legal Aid (published by the Social Affairs Unit), of The Criminal Advocate's Survival Guide and of numerous articles. An enthusiastic linguist, she speaks five European languages and is currently learning Polish. She is married and lives in Berkshire.
