Strategic plan for 2010-15

JUSTICE’s strategic goals are to advance:

By 2015, the following relevant events or processes will have happened. These provide the context in which we will be working:

The next election, in which all major political parties will have taken a position on civil liberties and human rights
Fifteen years of the Human Rights Act, which hopefully will have bedded down further into the constitutional framework of the UK – though the balance of liberty and security as well as privacy and freedom of expression is likely to continue to be contentious
Completion of the five year business plans of all government departments, with the Home Office and Ministry of Justice particularly relevant and promising respectively:
- (Home Office) empowering the public to hold the police to account
- freeing up the police
- creating a more integrated criminal justice system
- securing borders and reducing immigration
- (Ministry of Justice) introducing a rehabilitation revolution
- reforming sentencing
- reforming courts and legal aid
- assuring better law

Along the way, major cuts to expenditure will have been implemented.

There will have been five further years experience of devolution and evolution of the pluralistic nature of the UK, raising questions of recognition of this event, the progress of human rights within and between the constituent jurisdictions of the UK
Further evolution and debate about the UK constitution
Completion of the EU’s programme of protection for suspects and defendants and five years bedding down of the Lisbon Treaty and European Charter of Fundamental Freedoms
Continuing globalisation of the world economy and political order, with commitment to human rights contested in low intensity anti-terrorism operations of one kind or another
Potential domestic disorder and unease in the face of public spending cuts and terrorism threats, both of which are likely to challenge government commitment to human rights
Five years of a radical government whose desire for reform may challenge existing constitutional boundaries relating to legislation, the civil service etc
Technology and use of the internet will have advanced dramatically, raising a wide range of issues from how legal services are delivered to threats to privacy and secrecy from the effect of the internet

will be based upon:

To influence Labour party politicians so that they are committed to civil liberties, human rights and accountability
To influence the Liberal Democrat party to remain committed to civil liberties and human rights
To influence the Conservative party to keep the faith with civil liberties, to nudge towards acceptance of human rights and to respect democratic conventions
To influence the party associations of lawyers
To influence the judiciary to advance human rights
To influence lawyers to take an interest in matters relating to the rule of law
To inform the European Commission and European Parliament on matters relating to human rights and effective criminal defence rights
To inform public of legal issues

Human rights

Helping the government to remain committed to its civil liberties agenda, in particular in relation to counter-terrorism and anti-social behaviour
Helping Labour to develop Ed Miliband’s indication of more sympathy for civil liberties
Ensuring the courts develop a coherent human rights jurisprudence
Ensuring that all three major political parties develop a commitment to the Human Rights Act
Ensuring that the European Union maximises the impact of the Lisbon Treaty reforms in enhancing its commitment to human rights
Ensuring that the European Union maximises its respect for the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights in relation to setting minimum standards for suspects and defendants and to encourage the UK government to commit itself to measures which will guarantee such standards
Ensuring that the appropriate balance is reached in relation to the interests of privacy and freedom of expression
Keeping in touch with developments in Northern Ireland and Scotland; encouraging discussion of human rights within a devolved context; assisting, in particular, Scottish discussion of how a commitment to human rights may be better integrated into its legal system

Criminal justice reform, particularly in relation to policing and sentencing

Ensuring that police are reformed in a way which is infused with respect for human rights and which increases their effectiveness
Supporting moves to end short prison sentences and reduce the prison population

Better law-making

Ensuring that the process of law-making is improved so that Parliament has greater scrutiny powers and time for examination
Ensuring that Parliament has adequate resources to assist in a human rights approach to legislation and, in particular, that the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights works as well as it can

An improved constitution

Assisting in efforts to identify the key elements of constitutional reform within JUSTICE’s brief with the end of advancing the better accountability of power
Using access to the courts through third party interventions to improve key areas of the law

Access to justice

Ensure that any cuts to legal aid are compensated for by adequate provisions that guarantee access to justice
Feed into global developments into domestic debate

Justice – Advancing access to justice, human rights and the rule of law