Maria Arpa
This week…
What Would You Change?
With..
The Justice Redesigned Panel
If you were handed the keys to the Ministry of Justice tomorrow, what is the ONE thing you would change immediately?
It is a simple question, but the answers are anything but simple. In the latest episode of our Justice Redesigned series, I brought together lawyers, former prison officers, rehabilitation experts and people with lived experience of the justice system to answer exactly that question.
I wanted to move beyond simply talking about what is wrong with the system and ask a more difficult question: what would you actually change if you had the power to do it?
The conversation that followed was challenging, thought provoking and full of ideas that deserve serious consideration.
Clearing the Crown Court backlog
With the Crown Court backlog leaving people waiting years for their cases to be resolved, one suggestion was to consider minor case amnesties as a way of freeing up valuable court time. Could dealing differently with lower level cases allow the system to focus its limited resources on the cases where they are most needed?
It is a controversial idea, but perhaps that is exactly why it needs to be discussed.
Putting lived experience at the heart of justice
Another powerful suggestion was to replace some of the top down bureaucracy with leaders who have genuine lived experience of the justice system.
We often hear about policies being designed around the people they are supposed to help. But how often are those people actually given a meaningful voice in shaping the system? If we want different outcomes, perhaps we need different people around the decision making table.
Rethinking the purpose of prison
We also looked at whether our approach to imprisonment needs a fundamental rethink. Rather than focusing primarily on punishment, what could we learn from Nordic style prison models that place dignity, responsibility and rehabilitation at their centre?
If the ultimate goal is to create safer communities and reduce reoffending, shouldn’t we be willing to look seriously at approaches that appear to achieve better outcomes?
Challenging the expert witness system
Expert evidence can play a crucial role in criminal trials, but what happens when that evidence is unreliable or insufficiently scrutinised?
Our panel discussed the problems that can arise when expert witnesses operate within a system of self regulation and asked whether stronger oversight is needed to protect against mistakes that can have life changing consequences, including wrongful convictions.
This is not simply a question about professional standards. It is a question about justice itself.
Preventing family court trauma
We also turned to the family justice system and the possibility of mandatory mediation before a case reaches court.
Family conflict can already be deeply painful and destabilising. When that conflict becomes part of a lengthy and adversarial court process, the experience can sometimes intensify the trauma for everyone involved, particularly children.
Could giving families a genuine opportunity to resolve disputes before entering the court system prevent some of that damage?
So, what would YOU change?
There are no easy answers to any of these questions. But I believe we need to be brave enough to have the conversation.
We spend a great deal of time identifying the problems within our justice system. The next step is to challenge ourselves to come up with practical solutions and to listen to people who have experienced the system from every side.
That is what Justice Redesigned is about.
So, if you were handed the keys to the Ministry of Justice tomorrow, what is the ONE thing you would change immediately?
Watch the latest episode of All Things Conflict and tell me what you think in the comments.
Which idea from our panel do you agree with most? And what would you do differently?
I would genuinely love to hear your thoughts.
🎙️ Listen to the full episode of All Things Conflict and hear bold ideas for redesigning our justice system, from tackling the court backlog and transforming prisons to putting lived experience at the heart of justice.
If you like this blog or content please share it with others.