criminal justice – Page 7 – The Church of England in Parliament

King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of Gloucester speaks on prisons and the justice system

The Bishop of Gloucester gave a speech on building community infrastructure during the Kings Speech debate on 9th November 2023, with a focus on prisons and the justice system:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, it is a privilege to speak in this debate and I thank the Minister for his thorough introduction.

In the Old Testament there is a beautiful vison of the prophet Isaiah of the perfect future with God:

“Never again will there be an infant who lives but a few days … No longer will people build houses for others and not live in them … People will not labour in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune”.

Whether or not you are a person of faith, I believe most of us would say yes to those words in the gracious Speech about the Government seeking, in all respects, to make long-term decisions in the interests of future generations. But how will that be realised? We need interconnectedness across disparate Bills and government departments, and a commitment to the well-being of individuals, always set within the big picture of people belonging together as interdependent human beings—hence that word “community” and its importance in the gracious Speech being picked up in the themes of today’s debate.

Votes: Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill

On 11th September 2023, the House of Lords debated Commons amendments and reasons to the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill. Votes were held on motions relating to Commons amendments, in which a Bishop took part:

Bishop of London responds to government statement on crimes at Countess of Chester Hospital

On 5th September 2023, the Bishop of London spoke in response to a government statement on the inquiry into the Countess of Chester Hospital and the crimes of Lucy Letby, welcoming the inquiry and asking why existing policies on whistleblowing and safeguarding were not enough to prevent the crimes, and what could be done in future to mitigate this:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I also declare my interests as noted in the register, specifically as a previous Chief Nursing Officer for England and as a non-executive director of a number of NHS trusts for a number of years. I also extend my sympathy and prayers to those who have been impacted by these awful and unimaginable atrocities.

I join others in welcoming that this is now a statutory inquiry. I also support the points made by the noble Baroness, Lady Merron, particularly around NHS manager regulation. I ask the Minister whether, when the Government look at that regulation, they will consider that it should go beyond the NHS executive, who themselves are managers, so providing external scrutiny.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about data collection in criminal justice

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the pilot, launched in March 2021, with 15 magistrates’ courts, involving the Ministry of Justice, HMCTS and the probation service, of an alternative delivery model to increase the number of cases receiving pre-sentence reports.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about migrant victims of domestic abuse

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish the evaluation of the Support for Migrant Victims pilot scheme.

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con, Home Office): In 2021 the Government awarded the charity Southall Black Sisters £1.4 million to run the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) Scheme pilot. This was following the Government’s review (in 2020) of its response to migrant victims who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF). This funding has now been extended until March 2025.

Bishop of St Albans asks about extradition from the UK

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what, if any, extradition arrangements exist between the UK and (1) the People’s Republic of China, and (2) the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con, Home Office): The UK does not have a bilateral extradition treaty with the People’s Republic of China. The Foreign Secretary made a statement in the House of Commons in July 2020 on the status of the UK-Hong Kong Extradition Treaty, confirming its indefinite suspension.

Bishop of Coventry asks about prosecution of Rwandan war criminals in the UK

The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answer on 19th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking (1) to identify the presence of alleged Rwandan war criminals in the UK, and (2) to prosecute those who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con): If a UK resident has been responsible for core international crimes anywhere in the world, they may be investigated and prosecuted in the UK.

Votes: Illegal Migration Bill

On 3rd July 2023, the House of Lords debated the Illegal Migration Bill in the second day of the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

Bishop of St Albans raises serious issues regarding imprisonment for public protection and calls for urgent reform

On 25th May 2023, the Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on the government’s Imprisonment for Public Protection Action Plan, pointing out a high rate of suicide among prisoners serving IPP sentences and urging reform of the system:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too thank the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, for his tenacity and for keeping this terrible situation before us. I rise with a certain reluctance because I do not have the expertise that many other noble Lords in this debate have, though like all bishops I have a right to visit the prisons in my diocese, which I do, and I am regularly in touch with people working in the legal and penal systems. My colleague the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Gloucester, the lead bishop on prisons, has raised this matter on numerous occasions and sadly cannot be here today.

It is now seven months since the House of Commons Justice Select Committee issued its report on IPP sentences. There were some alarming conclusions in it, such as noting:

“The indefinite nature of the sentence has contributed to feelings of hopelessness and despair”,

leading to some suicides within the IPP population. There are reports that perhaps as many as 81 people have taken their own life when serving an IPP sentence. If we could identify in any other area of life that 81 lives had been taken, we would be calling for inquiries and wanting answers. Many of us are concerned to hear of further, more recent suicides.

Bishop of Derby asks about numbers of children remanded in custody

The Bishop of Derby received the following written answer on 17th May 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government how many children are being held on remand in the most recent period for which data is available; and whether they are taking steps to reduce this.

Lord Bellamy (Con, Ministry of Justice): As at 31 March 2023, there were 244 children and young people remanded to custody in the Youth Secure Estate (this figure includes 18-year-olds). Remanding a child to custody must always be a last resort, however that option must remain open to the courts where it is necessary to protect the public.

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