Blog
Acting to stop harm: the FCA and Appointed Representatives
James Alleyne
11 February 2016
Tackling knife crime – A new police initiative and tougher sentencing announced
According to recent press, between 2014 and 2015 the Office of National Statistics recorded that possession of knife offences increased by 10%, sexual assaults with knives by 28%, and knife assaults by 13%. These figures spurred the Metropolitan Police to launch Operation Sceptre, a campaign to combat knife crime through tactics ranging from outreach programmes and knife amnesties to increased patrols and weapon sweeps. There is no official definition of ‘knife crime’ but the term broadly encompasses any offence involving a knife regardless of whether it was used to inflict harm. This week saw a series of initiatives against such crime as part of the ongoing campaign of Operation Sceptre, including the use of the hashtag, #StopKnifeCrime.
4 February 2016
Michael Caplan QC offers evidence to justice committee hearing on young adult offenders
The evolving challenges presented by young adult offenders spurred Parliament to launch a Select Committee inquiry into this difficult subject in mid-2015. The Justice Committee received written submissions in September 2015 and has since held a series of hearings to gather further evidence. Michael Caplan QC attended Parliament on Tuesday at the invitation of the Committee. Attending in a private capacity, Michael brought his extensive experience as a lawyer, Recorder in the Crown Court, and member of the Sentencing Council to bear on the discussion.
26 January 2016
Youth Justice in the parliamentary spotlight
At the end of last year the Ministry of Justice published its response to the Harris Review into self-inflicted deaths in custody of 18-24 year olds. Sandra Paul reflects on the debate in this sensitive area and asks what next for youth justice?
24 July 2015
Rape and consent – can a phone app help?
The issue of consent remains an evidentially difficult concept in allegations of rape and sexual assault. On 23 July, the Evening Standard reported on the No Consent app “What-About-No”. The app allows parties to record their consent to engage in sexual acts. A further facility within the app allows parties to state, reinforce or record the fact that they do not or no longer consent. The recordings are uploaded to the cloud and can be retrieved if required. We accept it is not very romantic but could it help?
