So, with a tip of the hat to Led Zeppelin, this is how I found out that my job is going to be changing in a pretty substantial way. Thanks, boss.
I also note that the Times doesn't seem to be quite up to speed on the fact that prosecutors are already back in police stations.
The police are getting summary-only charging back. This is a cost cutting exercise, naturally. It will also solve some CPS staffing problems -- fewer charging decisions needed. It's also a handy testing ground for police charging. I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- we are heading right back to 1985, pre-CPS. Lawyers in police stations, police doing the charging for everything, closer working relationships, etc. We already have a shared logo, for the "Prosecution Team". It's the police chequered squares above the scales of justice on a shield (sorry, can't find it online). I wish I was joking.
What proportion of the offences in my list for today's court are in fact summary-only? I don't know, because I haven't read them yet, but I'll report back. About 20%, I would guess.
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Nothing new there then!
ReplyDeleteHere's one for you!!!
ReplyDeleteApparently the judicial appointments Commission in their effort to creat a more diverse bench recently had a competition and drew up a list of possible candidates to recommend for appointment- however, when the final list came out some who were on the list were off and some that were never on it were- very spooky. Hey-resto seems Paul Daniels is running this illustrious body.
Dsen't it make you weep
Nothing new under the sun, I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteThe JAC is not something that will trouble me, I think it's safe to say. Judging is a lonely game, and I'd miss the camaraderie too much.
This is a disgrace. Another example of the CPS being unable to stand up to the police. The police hates stautory charging because they are assessed by the percentage of charges being brought, and we are not giving them what they want.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we in the CPS may not get it right 100% when it comes to charging decision, the quality of police charges are undoubtedly much poorer. As a lawyer who is unfortunate enough to be a regular OBM lawyer, I have already had a high proportion of police charged cases that require change of charges or discontinuance. Police charging all S/O offences will simply increase the workload of the already poorly designed OBM. The whole system will simply break down.
Think about all the extra DCV letters we have to do...
OBM lawyer