Is the Government’s net immigration target counter-productive?

By Georgina Tubb, @GTubbMedia

Statistics released this week showed that the Government has made no progress towards its target of cutting net immigration down to the tens of thousands. 250,000 more people have entered the UK than have left it, which means net immigration has remained at a record high despite the Government’s pledges. As a result of both the target set by ministers, and their failing to meet this so far, pressure has been put on immigration authorities to reduce the number of immigrants entering the country.
However, it would appear that deciding who is allowed to live in the UK isn’t as straightforward as it may seem, and some evidence would suggest that the sort of people who may be beneficial and welcome in our country are not being granted permission to stay.
I saw and heard an example of such evidence with my own eyes and ears this week when sitting in the public gallery of a Crown Court (a very interesting way to spend the day if you’re a Criminology student!).

Open Justice Week is Here.

Tomorrow sees the start of Open Justice week. After the last six weeks of planning and talking to people all over the country about the project Monday will see people fanning out across our justice system and writing about what they experience.

We'd like to wish everyone who has already told us they are taking part all the best, and say to anyone who has no yet taken the plunge to consider writing for us. We already have some great pieces lined up but the more we have the better the snapshot of where the legal system is in 2012 we can create.

Thanks again to those who have pledged to get involved, if anyone needs to know more we can be reached through this blog or by email Here



James and Cristiana.

Open Justice project aims to shed light on Scottish courts that normally go unreported

From Jon Robbins in the Guardian today

Next week marks the start of a potentially fascinating experiment that aims to shine some light on those under-exposed parts of the justice system. Open Justice Week is a Scottish initiative that aims to use blogging, Twitter and Facebook to 'increase the transparency and accountability of the justice system'.

For better and worse, the relentless incursion of social media is a defining feature of modern day life. Its appearance in our courts, and clashes with the law, have become commonplace. The last few weeks have seen the so-called #obscenitytrial (to use its Twitter hashtag) (a failed prosecution under the Obscene Publications Act that gay porn was capable of being 'depraving and corrupting'), and a High Court appeal of the #twitterjoketrial which concerns an accountant who, jokingly, tweeted a threat to blow Robin Hood airport 'sky high' if it remained shut.

Both cases involved tweets of fewer than 140 characters, sent by non-lawyers, that resulted in complex legal argument. The live Twitter commentary of both events varied from insightful to the unenlightening - but near-contemporaneous commentary is a compelling innovation.

Column in The Journal

Check out our column and video interview in The Journal [link], the mag for members of The Law Society of Scotland.

A Beginners Guide to Court Reporting

With the beginning of Open Justice week less that 8 days away, Gordon Darroch has kindly created this excellent guide to  court reporting. It is pretty comprehensive but if there is anything you are unsure of please leave a comment or email us

A beginner’s guide to court reporting

Reporting on a court case is a lot less daunting than it sounds. The silk gowns, leatherbound ledgers and legal language can seem forbidding to outsiders, but courts are public spaces and with a few exceptions, anyone can attend and report on proceedings.

The laws covering court reporting are mostly there to safeguard the accused’s right to a fair trial. Essentially, the law says that what you write must be a fair and accurate summary of what happens in court. If you stick by this basic rule, you are unlikely to go far wrong.

Latest Press Release

With Open Justice Week due to start in a fortnight the organisers say they are amazed at how well the idea has been received across the country.
“The support so far has been fantastic,” James Doleman, one of the the project’s founders, said.
“We have had UK wide coverage in The Guardian and it has been fantastic to see so many people taking the principle of open justice to heart.”
Due to begin on February 27, the project aims to use blogging, twitter and facebook to increase the transparency and accountability of the justice system.
The best contributions will be published on a dedicated blog and on the Guardian Law section on the News and Media company website.
Doleman added: “We want to create a snapshot of where British justice is in  2012, and we want as many people as possible to join us.”
Co-founder Cristiana Theodoli, a Glasgow based court reporter, added: “We are working on getting as many contributors with varied views and from varied backgrounds as we aim to provide a comprehensive account of the state of justice and write about their individual takes and experiences of the justice system.
“We would like people to submit articles, as short or as long as they want, to our email address or to tweet about their views using the hashtag #oj_uk.”
To get involved, or to find out more about the project email openjusticeuk@gmail.com or tweet us at @oj_uk.

Ends

Contacts
openjusticeuk@gmail.com
James Doleman  07557440118

Scottish Press Club event

James Doleman and I will be speaking about Open Justice project at this week's Scottish Press Club event at The Griffin on Bath Street, Glasgow, this Thursday at 7.30pm. Other guests include BBC speakers Eleanor Bradford (Health Correspondent Scotland) & Ken McDonald (Newsnight) talking about their careers & NUJ.


Cristiana Theodoli

https://www.facebook.com/groups/103342813089341/