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Crime, Justice, Citizenship and Equalities
Latest news
January 29 2008
Reforming penal policy – a major new drive
A new package of measures to tackle re-offending by getting prisoners off drugs and into work has been unveiled by Labour’s Justice Secretary, Jack Straw.
The measures include: the drawing up of a new contract between offenders and the community, with sanctions for those who break the contract and incentives for those who follow it; an expansion of prison work programmes to give offenders the chance to learn the new skills they need to turn away from crime; an examination of what further steps are needed to control drugs, covering both drug treatment programmes and the supply of drugs in prisons; and a pilot study to examine the concept of introducing a mental health court.
As well as targeting the supply of drugs, the Government is introducing the Integrated Drug Treatment System to a further 20 prisons, while four more drug courts will be built after the success of pilots on west London and Leeds.
March 4 2008
Crackdown on binge drinking
The Government will launch a crackdown on alcohol-fuelled disorder in light of the Review of the Licensing Act published today.
In a written ministerial statement, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said that the review had produced a "mixed picture" of the impact of extended hours introduced in the Licensing Act in 2003 and that there needed to be a new focus on enforcement of police and local authority powers. Overall crime and alcohol consumption had fallen since 2003 but alcohol-related violence in the early hours of the morning had increased, he said.
March 6 2008
ID Card plan revised
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced changes to the proposals for ID cards. Most people will not have to give fingerprints for passports until 2011/12, and plans to make passport applicants have an ID card have been dropped. But workers in security-sensitive jobs, such as airport workers, will have to have ID cards from 2009.
March 18 2008
GOVERNMENT INTENSIFIES DRIVE TO TACKLE ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN YOUNG PEOPLE BY STEPPING IN EARLY
A thousand of the most challenging young people will be targeted for intensive, non negotiable intervention in order to prevent future antisocial behaviour, Ed Balls and Beverley Hughes announced today in the Youth Taskforce Action Plan.
The Youth Taskforce Action Plan will build on the success in tackling antisocial behaviour by spending £218.5m in the following three areas:
• Tough enforcement where behaviour is unacceptable or illegal
• Non-negotiable support to address the underlying causes of poor behaviour
• Better prevention to tackle problems before they become serious and entrenched, and to prevent problems arising in the first place
May 7 2008 Cannabis reclassified
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced today that cannabis will be reclassified as a Class B drug, sending the strong message that the drug is harmful.
May 8 2008 New measures to tackle anti-social behaviour
A new Action Squad to help police and local agencies make full use of all the tools and powers available to tackle anti-social behaviour in every community, backed by £255,000 of new funding, was announced today in a major speech by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
Other measures outlined by the Home Secretary included: Better joined up working by local authorities and statutory agencies; more action on poor parenting to intervene early at the first sign of problems: courts will be required to consider making a Parenting Order when giving an ASBO to 10-17 year olds; a review of measures to address anti-social behaviour on public transport; new investment for the "Taking A Stand Awards"; and anti-social behaviour practitioners in every area will be given definitive guidance about every tool at their disposal and how best to use them.
In a further measure, the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, which is expected to receive Royal Assent shortly, will extend crackhouse closure order powers to cover more serious types of anti-social behaviour. It will also include a statutory requirement to review ASBOs on all under 18 year-olds after one year to ensure the ASBO is working and to pave the way for other interventions if necessary.
June 5 2008
Prosecution age for possession of knives dropped
Anyone aged 16 or over in England and Wales who carries a knife could be taken to court, under new guidelines for police and prosecutors.
The change follows a meeting between Gordon Brown, police and legal chiefs, to extend the "presumption of prosecution" in knife cases. Previous police guidance was to prosecute adults caught with a knife, but to caution those under 18.
July 17 2008
More police on the streets and more prosecutions more knife crime
More people will see more police officers on their streets under new reforms announced today, the PM has said.
Mr Brown said that the new policing Green Paper would "clear the decks" and cut down on bureaucracy so officers could spend more time tackling crime.
He also repeated a warning that young people carrying knives would be prosecuted as new figures reportedly showed police recorded about 20,000 serious offences involving knives last year.
A new policing pledge in the Green Paper sets out a national standard on what people can expect from the police. This is underpinned in each area by a set of local priorities agreed by people in each neighbourhood.
October 21 2008
Extra money to keep young people safe
Labour’s Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced an extra £3 million to help keep young people safe as the nights draw in.
The new investment will go towards –After school patrols: providing a visible police presence on the routes to and from schools;
Safer School Partnerships: providing a dedicated police officer to a school or group of schools to promote safety and work with young people at risk of victimisation, offending, poor behaviour or attendance; and
Operation Staysafe: police using safeguarding laws to remove young people at risk from the streets at night and take them to a place of safety
The new investment will focus on the ten areas taking part in the Tackling Knives Action Programme (London, Essex, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Nottinghamshire, South Wales and Thames Valley)
November 25 2008
New protection from forced marriage
New legislation to protect victims of forced marriage and prevent others from the same fate comes into force today.
The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 will enable courts to prevent forced marriages and order those responsible for forcing another into marriage to change their behaviour or face jail. It also provides recourse for those already forced into marriage.
December 23 2008
New power and guidance to tackle alcohol-related crime
A new power targeting offenders who commit crime under the influence of alcohol was unveiled today.
From next summer, drinking banning orders will allow police and local authorities to stop a person entering certain premises if they have been involved in criminal or disorderly conduct under the influence of alcohol. Breach of a drinking banning order, which can last up to two years, could lead to a fine of up to £2,500. The orders are focused on people whose drinking has been identified as a factor in their irresponsible and disorderly behaviour.
Other Pages
Commission Work Programme 2007
Queens Speech November 2006