The 'England and Wales' justice system has already been in the news for all the wrong reasons in 2024. Many years of underfunding and uneven and unsuccessful policy have left it creaking. Against a backdrop of underfunding, crumbling court estate, and widening legal deserts, the new UK Government's first major act in the sector has been to engage in widespread early release in prisons to manage capacity. It is a sector on the brink of crisis.

Of course here at the Hiraeth Pod we call it the 'Wales and England' justice system and in the latest of our pods examining the reality in Wales, we're delighted to be joined by The Law Society to discuss their latest report 'From Caernarfon to Caerdydd: Re-imagining Justice in Wales 2030' that takes a Wales-centric view of these issues.

We discuss the fundamental issues here, ongoing debates about devolution to bring Wales into line with Scotland and Northern Ireland, the total absence of separate data for Wales's justice sector, the legal aid crisis, and the barriers to entering the profession for poorer students.

You can find a copy of the report on the Law Society's website: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/about-us/law-society-wales/reimagining-justice-2030The Law Society Wales: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/about-us/law-society-wales/And on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-law-society-wales-cymdeithas-y-cyfreithwyr/

Previous podcasts about the justice system in Wales:The Welsh Criminal Justice System, on the Jagged Edge: https://youtu.be/wNBjmkh8NFEJustice and Youth Justice for Wales: https://youtu.be/RyLbtSjclcM

As always, you can find the latest from us @hiraethpod on most social media, including Twitter/X here: twitter.com/HiraethPod

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