In a statement that is bound to turn heads, Justice Secretary Michael Gove is expected to say that he intends to massively overhaul the legal system, which he believes is failing vulnerable victims of crime. It is thought that he will want to overhaul the system, which he has described as being two-tier and creaking, and there is likely to be some considerable backlash from a legal system that took the government to task over their legal aid cuts.
When the cuts were introduced, many lawyers and judges warned that it would be the most vulnerable victims that would suffer the most because they would not have access to the same level of legal aid that they once did, and may even be forced to represent themselves in court if they are unable to pay for a direct access lawyer.
It is believed that Gove’s primary attack will be aimed at the amount of time it takes for vulnerable victims to receive justice once they report a crime. Sources have also said that he is expected to deploy the same level of energy that he used when overhauling the education system in the UK, and he certainly wasn’t afraid of locking horns with senior figures in schools and the education board during his time.
Gove is expected to say that it is unfair that victims are made to suffer twice; once when the crime is committed but also when the crime is reported and the victim waits to have their case heard in the courts. It is the waiting time that seems to have particularly riled the new Justice Secretary, and he is expected to look for ways in which to modernise the legal system and the court system.
Gove is expected to make his speech during his first public address in his role as Justice Secretary when he addresses the Legatum Institute in Central London. He will almost certainly come up against some resistance, and the question of legal aid funding is highly likely to rear its head once again, especially if the government expects a modernisation of the courts system.
