News

Researchers at Warwick and Monash universities are analysing the impact of cuts to the civil and criminal legal-aid systems operating in England, Wales and Victoria (Australia). The report from the second workshop held at Monash University in July 2014 has now been published.

More information on the research project is available at the 'Access to Justice' project's website.

More specialist training is required for police, lawyers and judges involved in the interrogation of juvenile suspects across Europe, Jackie Hodgson has found. There is also a need for consistency in the way youths are safeguarded within the EU, with too much focus in some countries on the detainee as a suspect, rather than as a juvenile, academics claim.

The research, which forms part of a wider European project looking at juvenile justice, is being presented at a conference in Maastricht in The Netherlands today (Friday 16 January) by Jackie who led the study in England & Wales.

Read more about this story here: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/research_finds_fundamental

The House of Commons Justice Committee held its first evidence session for its inquiry into the effectiveness of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), taking evidence from academics and solicitors. Jackie Hodgson was questioned by MPs on Tuesday 13 January 2015 and you can watch her evidence on Parliament TV: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=16909

More information on the inquiry can be found on the Committee's webpage: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/justice-committee/news/criminal-cases-review-commission-academics/

A murderer serving a life sentence in a Belgian jail, who asked to be allowed to die by lethal injection, was told in September that his wish would be granted. This week the Justice Ministry reversed that decision.

The case raises an interesting question - whether prisoners serving long jail terms should be allowed to choose medically assisted death. In Belgium, euthanasia is available for the terminally ill, and also for those who wish to end psychological suffering.

Victor Tadros and two other philosophers gave their view on Frank Van den Bleeken's case, and whether he should be allowed to die, to the BBC. Read the whole story on the BBC News website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30708585

Warwick's strength in philosophy of law has been recognized by the Philosophical Gourmet Report 2014-15, the most influential ranking of philosophy programmes. Warwick was one of only four UK departments to be listed in the top 25 programmes in the world.

The rankings of programmes are based on surveys by experts in philosophy of law. You can find the integrality of the rankings for philosophy of law here: http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2014/12/more-2014-pgr-specialty-rankings-philosophy-of-law.html