Latest news with #MOJ
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mother of murdered teen fears justice reforms
A mother whose teenage son was murdered by a convicted offender on probation says she fears proposed changes to the justice system. Conner Marshall, 18, of Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, was beaten to death by David Braddon in March 2015 in a case of mistaken identity. But plans to deal with prison overcrowding would see more prisoners in Wales and England, including some serious offenders, eligible for early release after serving a third of their sentence. Mr Marshall's mother, Nadine Marshall, is concerned reforms announced by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, including increased use tagging and home detention, will put even more strain on the probation service "The problems are going to be magnified because the system isn't fit for purpose as it is," she said. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said the UK government inherited a criminal justice system "in crisis" but would include £700 million to fund "intensive supervision" of released prisoners by the Probation Service. Mrs Marshall responded: "I'm not confident in the slightest. "That money is just going to plug holes. "The staffing isn't there, the processes aren't there, the systems aren't there for probation to actively be able to deal with the workload they have." Violent criminals could be released early and chemical castration pilot expanded after review Bold spending needed to halt prison crisis - union More inmates released early to stop prisons running out of space Mr Marshall was killed at Trecco Bay caravan park in Porthcawl, Bridgend county, in a drink and drug-fuelled attack. At the time, Braddon, 26, of Caerphilly, was subject to two community orders following his conviction for drug offences and assaulting a police officer, but was classified as a low-risk offender. He was among 244 criminals on probation who were charged with murder in Wales and England between January 2020 and March 2024 - an average of one a week - according to statistics shared with BBC Wales-produced Newyddion S4C. At the inquest into Mr Marshall's death, the coroner heavily criticised the Probation Service, particularly the "woefully inadequate" management of Braddon's inexperienced new case worker. An MOJ spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with the victims of these horrific crimes and their families. "A 45% uplift in funding for the service will allow us to tag and monitor tens of thousands more offenders in the community. And we are on track to have recruited 2,300 probation officers by March next year." But an independent sentencing review has suggested wider use of probation services and the third sector in managing offenders after release from prison. It was carried out by the former Conservative Lord Chancellor David Gauke after prisons across Wales and England almost reached capacity last summer. It acknowledged the probation service is also currently "under great strain". Mahmood told the Commons on Thursday she accepted most of the proposals but stopped short of allowing the most serious offenders from being released early and said nobody jailed for terror offences would be eligible. Between July 2024 and March 2025, the UK government recruited 1,000 probation officers and has set a target of recruiting a further 1,300 this financial year 2025-26. National Association of Probation Officers broadly supports the government announcement but warned proper investment must accompany the burden on staff. "We have long been saying if the prison system is full and it is, so is probation," general secretary Ian Lawrence told Newyddion S4C. "Can the probation service cope with what will be a new cohort of early releases in Spring next year once this is all enacted? Not at the current rate of progress. "We currently have a system where staff are working massive hours under massive pressure just to cope with what I would call business as usual." Murdered teen's mum gets commissioner nomination Mother's pride at son's organ donation Murdered teen's story told to pupils
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mother of murdered teen fears justice reforms
A mother whose teenage son was murdered by a convicted offender on probation says she fears proposed changes to the justice system. Conner Marshall, 18, of Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, was beaten to death by David Braddon in March 2015 in a case of mistaken identity. But plans to deal with prison overcrowding would see more prisoners in Wales and England, including some serious offenders, eligible for early release after serving a third of their sentence. Mr Marshall's mother, Nadine Marshall, is concerned reforms announced by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, including increased use tagging and home detention, will put even more strain on the probation service "The problems are going to be magnified because the system isn't fit for purpose as it is," she said. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said the UK government inherited a criminal justice system "in crisis" but would include £700 million to fund "intensive supervision" of released prisoners by the Probation Service. Mrs Marshall responded: "I'm not confident in the slightest. "That money is just going to plug holes. "The staffing isn't there, the processes aren't there, the systems aren't there for probation to actively be able to deal with the workload they have." Violent criminals could be released early and chemical castration pilot expanded after review Bold spending needed to halt prison crisis - union More inmates released early to stop prisons running out of space Mr Marshall was killed at Trecco Bay caravan park in Porthcawl, Bridgend county, in a drink and drug-fuelled attack. At the time, Braddon, 26, of Caerphilly, was subject to two community orders following his conviction for drug offences and assaulting a police officer, but was classified as a low-risk offender. He was among 244 criminals on probation who were charged with murder in Wales and England between January 2020 and March 2024 - an average of one a week - according to statistics shared with BBC Wales-produced Newyddion S4C. At the inquest into Mr Marshall's death, the coroner heavily criticised the Probation Service, particularly the "woefully inadequate" management of Braddon's inexperienced new case worker. An MOJ spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with the victims of these horrific crimes and their families. "A 45% uplift in funding for the service will allow us to tag and monitor tens of thousands more offenders in the community. And we are on track to have recruited 2,300 probation officers by March next year." But an independent sentencing review has suggested wider use of probation services and the third sector in managing offenders after release from prison. It was carried out by the former Conservative Lord Chancellor David Gauke after prisons across Wales and England almost reached capacity last summer. It acknowledged the probation service is also currently "under great strain". Mahmood told the Commons on Thursday she accepted most of the proposals but stopped short of allowing the most serious offenders from being released early and said nobody jailed for terror offences would be eligible. Between July 2024 and March 2025, the UK government recruited 1,000 probation officers and has set a target of recruiting a further 1,300 this financial year 2025-26. National Association of Probation Officers broadly supports the government announcement but warned proper investment must accompany the burden on staff. "We have long been saying if the prison system is full and it is, so is probation," general secretary Ian Lawrence told Newyddion S4C. "Can the probation service cope with what will be a new cohort of early releases in Spring next year once this is all enacted? Not at the current rate of progress. "We currently have a system where staff are working massive hours under massive pressure just to cope with what I would call business as usual." Murdered teen's mum gets commissioner nomination Mother's pride at son's organ donation Murdered teen's story told to pupils
ITV News
22-05-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Nottingham attacks: Two survivors rally for support ahead of inquiry
Two of the three survivors of the 2023 Nottingham attacks have welcomed the publication of the Terms of Reference that will shape the upcoming Nottingham inquiry. Wayne Birkett and Sharon Miller were both seriously injured in the attack which left them with life-changing injuries. Today they have written to a group of Nottingham MPs and the Mayor to ask for a meeting to discuss how they can foster local engagement with the Inquiry, and ensure that recommendations arising from it are implemented. What is the Terms of Reference in the Nottingham Inquiry The government's announcement today (May 22) is that prosecutors, police and medical professionals will be scrutinised by a two-year public inquiry into the fatal Nottingham attacks. The Terms of Reference has been submitted by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to the chair of the inquiry, outlining a comprehensive list of events. It also pulls together the interactions between the various agencies (including health, policing and the wider criminal justice system) involved. This is designed to give the inquiry Chair more scope to evaluate what could have been done differently. What have the survivors said? Survivor Sharon Millar has said: 'We want to understand how someone with paranoid schizophrenia, who had previously been hospitalised because of his condition, was able to get away with not taking his medication just because he claimed to be scared of needles. "He was known to the police too. Why weren't they able to stop him? The Inquiry will uncover the truth about all the missed opportunities to stop him, and what needs to be done to prevent something as appalling as this from happening again. Not a day goes by where I don't think about what he did to Grace, Barnaby, and Ian.' Fellow survivor, Wayne Birkett says 'The whole system feels broken. From the lack of money to fund mental health services, to the broken lines of communication between all the organisations who had contact with Calocane. "The government needs to make sure that there is enough money and resources available to make the changes needed to protect the people of Nottingham.' What do we know about the Nottingham inquiry? Valdo Calocane killed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before attempting to kill three other people in the city in June 2023. The inquiry aims to report back within two years with recommendations to prevent similar incidents, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said. Witnesses from Nottinghamshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) could be compelled to give evidence, the Government said on Thursday. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) previously prepared a report which concluded that officers failed to properly investigate an assault on warehouse workers by Calocane which could have stopped his murder spree a month later. Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder – something which has been widely criticised by the victims' families. The MoJ said the management of Calocane's risk to others in the lead-up to the attacks and public servants accessing information without authorisation will form part of the inquiry. The victims' families previously said claims that healthcare staff illegally accessed medical records belonging to their loved ones were 'sickening' and 'inexcusable'. Three Nottinghamshire Police officers also faced disciplinary action for viewing material about the case without any legitimate reason, and there have been alleged data breaches by staff working for HM Prison and Probation Service and HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Emergency services staff who responded to the attacks will also be scrutinised by the inquiry as part of a 'detailed examination' of events on the day of the killings. Senior retired judge Deborah Taylor, who jailed former tennis star Boris Becker after he avoided paying his debts, will chair the inquiry. What else are people saying about the Inquiry? Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood said: 'The bereaved families and survivors of the Nottingham attacks, who have suffered so much, deserve to know how these horrific incidents were able to happen. 'I am pleased this inquiry is now under way and I know her honour Deborah Taylor will undertake a fearless and thorough examination of the facts to prevent tragedies like this happening again.' Greg Almond, Solicitor and Partner at Rothera Bray. 'It's crucial that Nottingham's leaders remain actively involved both during and after the Inquiry concludes to ensure there is never a repeat of an attack of this nature. "The proper implementation of the Inquiry's recommendations will require effective leadership and investment, something that has not yet been spoken about."
Euronews
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Can governments stop killings before they happen? UK explores creating 'murder prediction' programme
ADVERTISEMENT The UK government is studying whether they can develop a 'murder prediction' programme that will use police and government data to decide how likely someone is to kill, new research has found. Information for the project was gathered through several freedom of information (FOI) requests filed by Statewatch, a UK-based civil liberties and human rights charity. The UK's Ministry of Justice (MOJ) wrote to Statewatch that the Homicide Prediction Project is a study to "review offender characteristics that increase the risk of committing homicide," and to "explore the power" of various datasets from the Police National Computer and Manchester Police to assess homicide risk. Related Prisoners in Finland are being employed as data labellers to improve accuracy of AI models The MOJ assessed several databases to look at personal and criminal history data, assessments completed by probation officers on motivation, need and risk, incident data, alerts and custody information for inmates who had at least one conviction before January 1, 2015. "This work is for research purposes only," the FOI response to Statewatch reads, noting that any assessments will not affect any judicial outcomes. "No direct operational or policy changes will come as a result," it added. Yet, the data protection assessment said a final report with a reflection on "future operationalistion and/or policy development based on the work" would be produced. 'Deeply wrong' Sofia Lyall, a researcher with Statewatch, said the project will "reinforce and magnify the structural discriminal underpinning the criminal legal system". "Building an automated tools to profile people as violent criminals is deeply wrong, and using such sensitive data on mental health, addiction and disability is highly intrusive and alarming," she continued. Related Algorithm used in Catalan prisons has 'substantial deficiencies,' audit finds Lyall asked the minister of justice to "immediately halt" the development of this tool and instead to "invest in genuinely supportive welfare services". Euronews Next reached out to the MOJ to clarify what the project's intended goals are and whether it would be further developed but did not receive an immediate reply.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Can governments stop killings before they happen? UK explores creating 'murder prediction' programme
The UK government is studying whether they can develop a 'murder prediction' programme that will use police and government data to decide how likely someone is to kill, new research has found. Information for the project was gathered through several freedom of information (FOI) requests filed by Statewatch, a UK-based civil liberties and human rights charity. The UK's Ministry of Justice (MOJ) wrote to Statewatch that the Homicide Prediction Project is a study to "review offender characteristics that increase the risk of committing homicide," and to "explore the power" of various datasets from the Police National Computer and Manchester Police to assess homicide risk. Related Prisoners in Finland are being employed as data labellers to improve accuracy of AI models The MOJ assessed several databases to look at personal and criminal history data, assessments completed by probation officers on motivation, need and risk, incident data, alerts and custody information for inmates who had at least one conviction before January 1, 2015. "This work is for research purposes only," the FOI response to Statewatch reads, noting that any assessments will not affect any judicial outcomes. "No direct operational or policy changes will come as a result," it added. Yet, the data protection assessment said a final report with a reflection on "future operationalistion and/or policy development based on the work" would be produced. Sofia Lyall, a researcher with Statewatch, said the project will "reinforce and magnify the structural discriminal underpinning the criminal legal system". "Building an automated tools to profile people as violent criminals is deeply wrong, and using such sensitive data on mental health, addiction and disability is highly intrusive and alarming," she continued. Related Algorithm used in Catalan prisons has 'substantial deficiencies,' audit finds Lyall asked the minister of justice to "immediately halt" the development of this tool and instead to "invest in genuinely supportive welfare services". Euronews Next reached out to the MOJ to clarify what the project's intended goals are and whether it would be further developed but did not receive an immediate reply.
