A scathing verdict on the dire impact of austerity

Where did it all go wrong? This book contains a quotation from an unnamed lawyer who says, ‘we’ve cut the criminal justice system to the bone because politically it is easy to do’. The CJS is not like the NHS, which people know they will need. No one expects to be a criminal or to have to go to court. This book – a combination of politics, economics, history and biography – examines the reasons for problems in the CJS, which not only affect prosecution and defence lawyers but also court staff, and police and probation. 

It is probably clear from the title what the author’s conclusions are. The politics of austerity launched in 2010 are blamed for being ineffective, if not counterproductive and totally wrong-headed. The misnamed ‘efficiencies’, the author argues, made matters worse. He is highly critical of many of the individuals responsible. The book is by an experienced prosecutor who also worked as a commercial lawyer and independent advocate. Like most of us, he learned his skills of advocacy the hard way. The section on his career and background is one of the stronger sections. His insights are informative.

All parts of our justice system are in crisis. The courts have horrendous backlogs, many local courts have closed, and low morale is ubiquitous. This is an excellent book which does not pull any punches.

David Pickup