Yesterday, lawyers from across the country gathered outside the Houses of Parliament to protest the Government’s proposals to privatise our criminal justice system. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling launched a public consultation on Government proposals to introduce price-competitive tendering for criminal legal aid work, which is open until 4 June 2013.
Under the proposals solicitors firms will bid for legal aid contracts in criminal work against leading competitors such as haulage firm Eddie Stobart and supermarket chains who aim to establish a legal arm to their business enterprise in pursuit of commercial gains. The Government will give contracts to the lowest bidders in an attempt to save £220 million per year by 2018 at the expense of justice. Price competitive tendering is part of the Government’s ultimate aim to privatise our criminal justice system.
The UK are following America’s neo-liberal economic model by privatising the criminal justice system in pursuit of profit. We only have to consider the result of price competition in criminal cases in the US to understand that privatised justice will be the death of justice for all. The US spearheaded low-bid contracts for legal services to ensure poor or needy defendants were represented. Different states implemented different forms of price competition for legal services. Although, some states, notably California, simply give contracts to the lowest bidder.
Independent
