Coming soon
Out later this month, a unique overview of criminal justice across England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
- How are the main UK criminal justice institutions organised?
- How did they develop over time into their current form?
- How are they held to account?
- How can ordinary citizens challenge them and influence their work?
These are the main questions covered in Criminal justice systems in the UK.
Written by two of the most experienced observers of the UK justice systems, Criminal justice systems in the UK offers an accessible overview of the police, the prosecution authorities, the courts, and prisons across the UK.
No gold standard
Across the UK, there is no single, UK-wide criminal justice model; no ‘gold standard’ arrangement. Three criminal justice jurisdictions, with different histories, structures and operations, cover the United Kingdom: the combined jurisdiction of England and Wales, and the separate jurisdictions of Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
The diverse UK criminal justice arrangements, the result of distinctive histories, cultures and politics, offer a variety of operational and reform options.
Criminal justice systems in the UK takes the varieties of criminal justice across the UK as its starting point, drawing out similarities, and identifying contrasting arrangements across the UK's nations and regions.
Criminal justice systems are under constant scrutiny. Calls for improvement and change are never far away. This report outlines a number of key mechanisms currently available in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom to hold these institutions to account and to press for change and reform.
When's it out?
Criminal justice systems in the UK is published later in August. Sign-up below for our free eBulletin to be the first to know.