This review reveals some of the ‘behind the scenes’ issues dealt with by the English courts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
One of the first issues that the courts had to deal with at the end of March 2020 was the governmental instruction for early discharge from prison. The conditions for such a release were that the prisoner was of low risk and within two months of their original release date. In the first application for early release, the Queen’s Bench Division was concerned about whether the early release scheme might undermine the rule of law.
Although apparently less newsworthy but perhaps most significant, the other two questions faced by the courts during this period concerned extradition and immigration bail and the possible breach of human rights. The travel restrictions meant that several extraditions had to be postponed, whilst individuals granted bail from immigration detention to an approved premise were faced with little availability of these, hence remaining in custody for longer.
You can read the full post in the British Society of Criminology Blog.
Covid and the Penal System, The British Society of Criminology Blog, 17 February 2021 https://thebscblog.wordpress.com/2021/02/17/covid-and-the-penal-system/ (last accessed 06/04/2021)