Former supreme court justice Lord Brown described the IPP sentence as the ‘greatest single stain on our criminal justice system’.
Articles on UK criminal justice
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What people believe about choice and responsibility shapes what they think prison is for.
A trial would not be fair if a jury’s decision about a defendant’s guilt or innocence was influenced by material they saw online.
In 2025, English and Welsh magistrates courts received almost 1.5 million cases.
The UK recognises cannabis as medicine, but only the wealthy can access it legally.
By autumn 2025 the Crown Court backlog had reached nearly 80,000 outstanding cases.
If a judge makes a decision on their own, only their own biases will influence the verdict. In a jury, consensus needs to be reached.
Empirical evidence from other jurisdictions shows that more diverse juries are fairer to black defendants.
The wider use of pre-sentence reports could help reduce existing racial disparities in sentencing.
Why are so many innocent people still being convicted of crimes they did not commit?
The Criminal Cases Review Commission is facing its own crisis of legitimacy.
A parliamentary committee surveyed 5,113 prison officers and found that 50% do not feel safe in the prison they work in.
Incarcerated women need trauma-informed support and mental health services.
The wide-ranging bill deals with police powers, antisocial behaviour, deepfake pornography and much more.
Until government addresses the link between cuts to funding public services and the rise in knife crime, the violence children and young people are facing will continue.
Restrictions on media coverage and the use of sexual history in court would be more effective changes.
Rape myths and unconscious biases often see juries and police officers disbelieve women who come forward with accusations of sexual assault.
Top contributors
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Senior Lecturer in Journalism, University of Winchester
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Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice, Brunel University of London
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Associate professor, University of Glasgow
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PhD Candidate, University of Glasgow; University of the West of Scotland
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Lecturer in Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University
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Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Kent
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Visiting Professor of Social Inequities and Injustice, Loughborough University
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Senior Lecturer in Law, Leeds Beckett University
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Professor in Criminal Law, Durham University
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Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of South Wales
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Associate Professor of Forensic Psychology, University of Birmingham
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Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Penology, University of Portsmouth
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PhD Candidate in Criminology, University of Westminster
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Senior Lecturer, Criminal Justice, Liverpool John Moores University
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Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Sussex