you are here : Home / Email News / 12 November 2009 

12 November 2009


Criminal Justice Speech
And launch of CSJ Courts and Sentencing Paper, "Order in the Courts"

Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, CSJ Chairman, delivered a speech on Criminal Justice reform last week. The speech called for a re-envisioning of the criminal justice system  1) to punish offenders, 2) to keep society safe and 3) for the rehabilitation of offenders.

In particular, Iain Duncan Smith MP called for the entire criminal justice system to work together towards rehabilitation of the offender if we are to reduce the costs on society; the number in prisons, currently at the highest on record at over 84,000; and to reduce reoffending rates.

The speech was the culmination of two years’ work by four CSJ Working Groups, which addressed Gangs, Prison Reform, Police Reform and Courts and Sentencing policy.

Martin Howe QC, the chairman of the Courts and Sentencing Working Group, presented the group’s conclusions at the same meeting."Order in the Courts"makes 40 recommendations which will shift the focus of magistrates’ courts and the probation service onto the communities they serve and will make sentences more productive and transparent.

Lords, policy makers, parliamentary researchers, voluntary sector organisations and CSJ Alliance members attended the event kindly hosted by Clifford Chance.

Click here for a PDF copy of "Order in the Courts"
Buy a copy of "Order in the Courts" £25
To view photos click here

To read Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP's speech click here 

Picture (l-r): Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, CSJ Chairman; Philippa Stroud, CSJ Executive Director; Lee Page, Support Worker Eco-Actif Services; Martin Howe QC, CSJ Courts and Sentencing Working Group Chairman

.


Shadow Chancellor applauds work of CSJ
"The most influential think tank in Britain"

The Shadow Chancellor described the CSJ as "the most influential think tank in Britain" this week at the inaugural CSJ Annual Reception in Tower Hill on 9 November 2009.

Speaking at an evening event for CSJ Donors, Advisory Board and supporters, George Osborne MP, said the influence of the CSJ had been "nothing short of enormous" as he explained the crucial link between the health of a society and economic recovery.

If you would like to become a donor of the CSJ click here

.

Brown Watch 30/Cameron Watch 68
CSJ Policies adopted by HM Government and HM Opposition

The number of policies adoped by HM Government monitored on our "Brown Watch" now stand at 30 policies with a number of our policies on debt from Breakthrough Britain recently adopted.

Meanwhile "Cameron Watch" stands at 68 policies. On 7 October 2009, David Willetts MP, Shadow Minister for Universities and Skills, with special responsibility for family policy, backed our proposal for more 'family fostering' schemes that take a whole family into care rather than just the child.

Brown Watch
Cameron Watch

.

  

LATEST CSJ ALLIANCE MEMBER: POINT BLANK
Point Blank joined the CSJ Alliance this week, the informal network of poverty fighting groups tackling the causes of poverty, after Chris Bullivant, Projects Director, visited them last week. Point Blank is a private music college working with over 2,000 hard-to-reach young people each year.

Alongside a dynamic creative industries teaching programme, Point Blank offer access to creative industries to those disengaged from education and society. "This is a business model," Point Blank CEO Robert Cowan said, "there is talent out there and it's about finding it." Based in Hoxton, London, found at more at www.pointblanklearning.com

 

 

CHARLIE PICKLES JOINS PANEL WITH SHADOW MINISTER FOR CHILDREN
Charlie Pickles, CSJ Senior Policy Advisor, joined a panel yesterday with Tim Loughton MP, Shadow Minister for Children. The panel on preventing misery and enabling mobility is part of the Children's Services Network Annual Conference, organised by the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) attended by Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister for Children. Delegates were a mixture of frontline practitioners, policy-makers and senior local authority officials.

 

 

CHRISTIAN GUY AT HMP CHELMSFORD QUESTIONED BY 60 PRISONERS
Christian Guy, CSJ Senior Researcher, was a panellist for HMP Chelmsford's Question Time event on 4 November. The event, part of the prison's Diversity and Equality week, was attended by more than 60 prisoners who asked a range of questions on issues including sentencing policy, high re-offending rates and the broad failures of the criminal justice system. Christian was joined on the panel by the prison's Deputy Governor, a senior local probation officer, and renowned poet and lawyer David Neita.

 

 

NEW OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Welcome to Kirsty Turnbull who joined us last week as our new Office Administrator. Kirsty replaces Melody Erasmus who decided not to return to us after maternity leave, and Joanne Pohl her stalwart maternity leave cover. Kirsty will most likely be the voice you hear when you call the CSJ. Originally from Glasgow, Kirsty studied at Brighton where she also worked as a PA for a Marketing and Recruitment firm.

 

 

.

.

The Centre for Social Justice
9 Westminster Palace Gardens, Artillery Row, London, SW1P 1RL
t. 020 7340 9650
admin@centreforsocialjustice.org.uk
www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk  

.
Copyright © 2009 The Centre for Social Justice | Terms & Conditions | Site Map

This email was sent to [email address suppressed]. You can instantly unsubscribe from these emails by clicking here.