Tag: criminal justice

Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill: Bishop of Gloucester welcomes legislation and wider work in rehabilitative justice

The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in a debate on the second reading of the Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill on 16th April 2021, welcoming the bill and stressing the need for rehabilitation to be at the centre of the prison system:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I add my condolences to those already expressed regarding the sad death of Dame Cheryl Gillan. I echo others in affirming that it is her commitment to reform that means that we are discussing these issues today.

I declare my interest, as stated in the register, as Anglican bishop for prisons in England and Wales. It is a great privilege for me to visit a variety of establishments. In conversations with prisoners, governors and chaplains, you get a sense of those issues that, if tackled, could have a real impact. Drug use within prisons is one of those issues.

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Votes: Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill

On 13th April 2021, the House of Lords debated the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

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Bishop of St Albans asks about rates of forced marriage offences

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 12th April 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 8 March (HL13499), how many cases were brought forward for (1) forcing someone to marry, and (2) breaching a forced marriage protection order, under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, in (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016, (d) 2017, (e) 2018, (f) 2019, and (g) 2020.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about tackling violence against women

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on methods of tackling violence against women on 16th March 2021, following a government statement on the death of Sarah Everard and the police response at the recent memorial gathering:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I too want to assure Sarah Everard’s family and friends of my thoughts and prayers. A couple of times in this House I have mentioned the work being done in Australia, the first country in the world to develop a national framework to prevent violence against women and girls. “Change the Story” identifies gendered drivers of violence and engages people where they live, work, learn and play. Will the Government take a serious look at Australia’s work and see what we can learn? Regarding the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, we will not be doing the right service to violence against women and girls unless we also ensure that we address the issue of that large group of women in prison for minor but repeated offences. Many are there because of the violence towards them and they need appropriate trauma-informed, community-based provision. Can the Minister assure the House that the issues about crime and sentencing will be looked at in a rounded and not a disconnected way?

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Domestic Abuse Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendments on community services and self defence law in cases of domestic abuse

The Bishop of Gloucester spoke during a debate on amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill on 10th March 2021, supporting an amendment on community services, and further amendments seeking to clarify the statutory defences for victims of domestic abuse who commit an offence:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester [V]: My Lords, my friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Derby, who regrets that she cannot be here today, was pleased to support the noble Lord, Lord Polak, when his amendment on specialist and community-based services was discussed in Committee. We really warmly welcome the government amendments, which represent significant improvements on the Bill. All that being said, I am glad that the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, introduced Amendment 85 so that we might just press a little further. I do not want to repeat what other noble Lords have said, so I will make just a few brief comments.

We have heard repeatedly in debates in this House of the value of specialist and community-based services which allow survivors to remain in their homes and retain their community, their faith links and their workplaces and to keep children in their schools. Finding a long-term solution, as others have said, to supporting these services is essential. With colleagues on the Bishops’ Bench, I look forward to engaging with the victims’ law consultation and to reviewing the promised Clause 8 report from the domestic abuse commissioner to Parliament on the provision of, and need for, community-based support services.

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Votes: Domestic Abuse Bill

On 10th March 2021, the House of Lords debated the Domestic Abuse Bill in Report. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

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Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill: Bishop of Leeds raises concerns on prosecution limits

On 21st March 2021, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill. The Bishop of Leeds spoke in support of amendment 14, which would provide that the presumption against prosecution in the bill does not apply to war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide or torture:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I understand the stated rationale for this Bill and I state at the outset that I have enormous respect for the noble Baroness the Minister, but I am struggling. I am not a lawyer, but I would like to focus on a couple of specific questions. I understand the difficulty with vexatious and untimely litigation, which is a curse, but legitimate litigation, however inconvenient, is surely the blessing of a free and civilised society that honours international law and a rules-based system in more than words.

The basic reason why I speak in support of Amendment 14 is that I fear the law of predictable or conscious consequences more than the law of unintended consequences. I ask the Minister to explain clearly this anomaly, which I cannot get my head around: this Bill, as currently drafted, will make it possible for an incident of torture or murder not to be prosecuted while a sexual offence committed in the same incident would be subject to prosecution. That suggests to me either that the reference to sexual offences is arbitrary or that torture and crimes against humanity and so on should also be admitted in the same category.

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Bishop of St Albans asks Government about action against forced marriage

On 8th March the Bishop of St Albans received written answers to two questions on forced marriage:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people were (1) charged, and (2) convicted, with (a) forcing someone to marry, and (b) breaching a forced marriage protection order, under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, in (i) 2016, (ii) 2017, (iii) 2018, (iv) 2019, and (v) 2020. [HL13499]

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about experiences of female prison leavers

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 22nd February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government whether the recent announcement to provide temporary basic accommodation to support prison leavers at risk of homelessness in five National Probation Service regions will include (1) women-only accommodation, and (2) provisions for specific support for vulnerable women with complex needs.

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Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendments on evidentiary standards

On 9th February 2021, the House of Lords debated the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill in committee. The Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of amendments on standards of proof and suspicion of guilt, raising issues of bias and risks of alienation:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester [V]: My Lords, I draw the Committee’s attention to my interest in criminal justice matters, specifically as chair of the Greater Manchester Police independent ethics committee, as set out in the register.

I am grateful to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, for tabling Amendment 28. I also note with interest Amendment 27 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Anderson. His arguments are powerful, not least in distinguishing clearly between belief and a mere suspicion, a distinction which for me as a bishop lies at the heart of my day job.

As I indicated to your Lordships’ House in my maiden speech at Second Reading, this is a Bill that I welcome and support. My city of Manchester has all too recently suffered a terrorist attack that killed 22 innocent people and maimed and traumatised hundreds more. We remain deeply grateful for the support we received from members of this House, government Ministers and many others at that time and since.

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