The Guardian reported that the high court in the UK has rejected a challenge brought up by a group of charities who have been working with prisoners against planned legal aid budget cuts. The cuts were reportedly introduced by UK Justice Secretary Chris Grayling.
Lady Justice Rafferty and Mr Justice Cranston on Monday had said that although the concerns raised by the Howard League for Penal Reform and the Prisoners Advice Service over the removal of rights of inmates with mental health problems and women with babies, among others, they disagree whether the concerns warranted enough to deem Grayling's proposal as unlawful.
"But we simply cannot see, at least at this point in time, how these concerns can arguably constitute unlawful action by the lord chancellor. For the time being, the forum for advancing these concerns remains the political," Rafferty and Cranston said.
According to the interest groups, the vulnerable ones inside UK's prisons will suffer injustice should Grayling's proposed removal of providing inmates the right to avail legal aid. At a hearing in London early this month, the groups' lawyers have sad the proposed legal cuts were unfair, irrational and inflexible, and that it would not allow them to have a chance at rehabilitation. Moreover, the goal of the budget cuts, which is to save taxpayer dollars, will be the opposite as it would trigger hidden costs.
Phillippa Kaufmann, who appeared on behalf of both of the charities, said that among the many rights that will no longer be availed by the incarcerated are legal assistance for mothers who are facing reviews to be eligible for mother-and-baby units, inmates who are up for segregation and placement in supervision units who do not have money for legal advice and representation.
"People are not going to be able to adequately represent themselves. The cuts will also interfere with the right of access of prisoners to the courts. The secretary of state has made absolutely clear he doesn't believe that prisoners should have access to legal aid to go to court about these matters. These are ideological reasons entirely contrary to the rule of law. He has created a system that is inherently unfair," Kaufmann said.
