Cuts to legal aid for prisoners are illegal
Court of Appeal ruling brands legal aid cuts illegal
Cuts to legal aid for prisoners are unlawful because they are inherently unfair, the Court of Appeal ruled earlier this month in its judgement on a legal challenge brought by the Howard League for Penal Reform and the Prisoners’ Advice Service.
Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: ‘This decision… vindicates our concerns that cuts imposed by the former lord chancellor, Chris Grayling, in 2013 presented a grave risk that prisoners would become stuck in a broken system. This sends a clear message that important decisions about prisoners cannot be made efficiently or fairly in the face of these cuts.’
Deborah Russo, joint managing solicitor of the Prisoners’ Advice Service, said: ‘This is an unprecedented and groundbreaking legal victory in which the vulnerability of the prison population is fully recognised as a key factor in its limited ability to access justice.’
