Anybody still wondering why John Reid wants to leave his job with such unprecedented haste need look no further than the proclamations of many senior judges concerning his new “Ministry of Justice”. The countries most senior judge, Lord Chief Justice Lord Philips, is not a happy man to say the least. With prison sentences, prisons themselves and sentencing policy all coming under one roof, judges fear they will come under pressure to administer politically motivated sentences. They also fear that with the money coming from the same pot to build new prisons, the courts will have to bear the brunt of cut backs. The rush to empty prisons to create space for the real wags is also a matter in point, with lesser sentences and community based options being encouraged by the new department. Whilst Reid may have jumped ship, it will be left to Brown and who ever takes over the department to stop it from sinking. Gordon will know that the judges view their best weapon as being publicity, and they intend to make their views known. Lord Philips, who has yet to welcome the creation of the new Ministry or congratulate Lord Falconer on becoming Secretary of State for Justice, has indicated that he has “communicated repeatedly to the Lord Chancellor since January 2007” on important issues. I wonder what these important issues are? Perhaps the fact that the department is ”not fit for purpose” or even more radical, keeping the criminal fraternity off the streets!
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