Don't Lose Momentum
Victims and survivors are urging the new Government to protect progress and keep justice reform moving.
Alongside fellow victims and survivors, we have written an open letter to the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, urging his new Government not to let years of campaigning and hard-won justice reform fall away during a change in leadership. The letter raises two immediate priorities: the review of the early prisoner release scheme and the future of the Courts and Tribunals Bill.
We welcome the decision to pause the release scheme, but the review must properly consider the impact on victims. For many survivors, securing a conviction can take years. Being told that the person who harmed them may then be released significantly earlier can bring renewed fear, uncertainty and trauma.
As Charlotte Meijer told the BBC, some women have fought longer to get justice than perpetrators have served in prison. Victims should not be expected to bear the consequences of an overcrowded and under-resourced prison system.
The letter also calls on the Government to keep progressing the Courts and Tribunals Bill. Victims continue to face lengthy delays, floating trials and a justice system that too often causes further harm. Many of the proposed reforms have been campaigned for over several years, often at high personal cost to survivors.
At the heart of the letter is a simple message: lived experience must be part of how the Government tackles violence against women and girls and reforms the justice system.
A new Prime Minister should bring renewed momentum, not another reset.
Head over to Open Justice for All to read the full letter.
