If you have not listened – I can recommend this week’s Law in Action episode with Joshua Rozenberg. Wikileaks / Assange case – European Arrest warrant – The view of a US spokeswoman on extraditing Assange – Tweeting from court. BBC Radio 4
Restorative Justice, Policing and the Big Society
I’ve also waded through this speech by Nick Herbert MP, Minister for Policing & Justice. Wading is the ‘operative word’. Oh dear! I shall do some thinking on this….that is not to suggest, of course, that Mr Herbert hasn’t…. he’s done enough to at least allow the speech parts of the human brain to kick in and enable him to make a speech on these matters. I wonder what professional criminal lawyers and other professionals in this field of ‘criminal justice’ will make of this? I found it rather thin and, to be frank, a bit of a waffle.
A taster….from Mr Herbert’s speech…….
The Big Society
This is about taking justice out of the narrow confines of the courts and putting it into the community. That is why I think the notion of the Big Society is so relevant and so important here.
This is a week where the Big Society has been talked about a lot, but I am passionate in the belief that the Big Society is a truly big idea. It is a big idea because it is an answer to the problems of the broken society, and it is those problems that have of course caused the high crime that we heard about.
I’ve always wanted to be a vigilante.
big big big biggybigbig big big bigbigbigbig….
interesting that they seem to confine their idea of justice to the criminal law.
SW – Agree… we need a bit of offshore taxation trusts……..
yes charon but as i said we need to look beyond the criminal…. oh yeah, right.
ps big big biggity big big (to the tune of monty python’s ‘spam’
Few people outside this Westminster bubble care a fish’s fin for Cameron or his Big Society.
People want local criminals dealt with promptly and effectively but they also want “summary justice” done via the courts and not by local “talking shops” and “Police discretion.”
I’m willing to hear argument to the contrary but I find Herbert’s talk unconvincing.
Just had a quick scroll down the speech and the first thing my eyes stopped on was “every crime has a victim”. I don’t think that’s very true at all- see many drugs offences, some environmental offences, regulatory breaches, public order offences- the list goes on.
Even if the Minister means that the State is often the victim (which in the context he doesn’t and isn’t a particularly safe assumption in itself) then all his arguments based on changing justice to put power in the hands of the individual unravel somewhat. Sloppy thinking makes sloppy policy.