Lord Leveson's review of efficiency in courts in E&W is a curate's egg -good in parts. Great is his support for resolving crime out of court instead of clogging up magistrates' courts with comparatively trivial cases. Our recent research with victims suggested most aren't focused

This is a key ask of the fairchecks.org.uk campaign which is gaining traction with politicians

The single justice procedure accounts for half of all criminal prosecutions in England and Wales yet facilitates prosecution for a simple mistake. We publish new report today calling for reform transformjustice.org.uk/publication/in…

Nearly half of all convictions are decided in secret by a lone magistrate without the defendant in court or legal representation Penelope Gibbs Transform Justice Shabana Mahmood MP Sarah Sackman KC MP Danny Shaw The CBA James Rossiter Police Inspectors telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/2…

The single justice procedure is a broken system within a broken system. transformjustice.org.uk/publication/in…… Our new report suggests it needs radical reform standard.co.uk/news/crime/dis…

And three quarters of all defendants in SJP don't plead guilty or not guilty ...few know why not but indicates their are significant barriers to access to justice transformjustice.org.uk/publication/in…

Disabled people face harsh justice in 'secret' courts, report finds standard.co.uk/news/crime/dis…

🚨NEW EPISODE🚨 Online guilty pleas. No open hearings. Defendants convicted without their knowledge. The Single Justice Procedure was designed for efficiency. But what happens when speed trumps justice? Kirsty Brimelow KC joins us to discuss 🎧Listen now: pod.fo/e/30221c

The single justice procedure facilitates the prosecution of strict liability offences - too few questions asked!

🎧Have you listened to our latest podcast episode yet? Kirsty Brimelow KC joins Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen to explore the single justice procedure and what it means for the vulnerable people who often fall victim of its impersonal nature 🔗Catch up: pod.fo/e/30221c

Anyone know what proportion of (non single justice procedure) magistrates' court cases are charged by the police rather than the CPS?

Currently, 38% of defendants in open magistrates’ court hearings don’t plead, compared to 73% of single justice procedure defendants… 🔗Our new report explores the ins and outs, the issues and the human impact of the single justice procedure: transformjustice.org.uk/publication/in…

If you regularly travel in London, you probably see signs like these all the time. TFL proudly displays huge numbers representing people given penalty fares and prosecuted, to dissuade members of the public from evading travel fares and protect their revenue. 🧵[1/4]

Defendant pleads guilty to handling stolen goods Weeks pass, sentencing date arrives No one has valued the stolen goods Defence lawyers haven’t filed his guilty plea basis Prosecutor was instructed last night & lacks basic info Sentence adjourned, court time totally wasted

Oh good, the court's CVP videolink system isn't working, so a judge is passing sentence with the defendant on a link from prison through a laptop in front of her Defendant can't hear his own mitigation, as his barrister is across the room from the laptop Going to be a long day

Under the single justice procedure, parents can be prosecuted for the non-attendance of their children at school. In fact, in 2024, over 20,000 parents were convicted for this - a strict liability offence, meaning there are very few valid excuses to avoid prosecution. 🧵[1/3]

Judge in the youth court is annoyed She ordered an interpreter for the hearing, but someone in admin didn't do it "I'm completely flabbergasted, it’s not good enough We can’t book them on the day, at 10.20am, when the case is listed at 10am" She's demanded a full explanation

The latest episode of the Transform Justice Podcast explores the ins and outs and failings of the controversial single justice procedure. Here Penelope Gibbs discusses one particularly shocking case ⬇️ 🎧🔗Catch up on the full episode now: pod.fo/e/30221c