Podcasts by Law in Action

Jury conscience, resolving conflicts in space, and the law of Treasure Trove in Scotland from 2023-11-14T16:30

Can juries acquit a defendant as a matter of conscience? For example, if people are accused of causing criminal damage as part of a protest, could the jury find them innocent despite the judge's...

Deepfakes and the Law from 2023-11-07T16:30

What if someone uses AI to create a fake version of your voice for their own aims? Recently, the actor, broadcaster and writer Stephen Fry found that someone had recreated his voice to narrate a...

Prison sentences: too long or too short? from 2023-10-31T16:30

Last week, the House of Commons Justice Select Committee published a wide-ranging report about sentencing and public opinion. On the one hand, it said we shouldn't ignore what people think. On t...

Exporting prisoners, is Joint Enterprise racist, and Gaza-Israel from 2023-10-24T15:30

Following the events of the 7th October in which around 1400 people were killed in Israel and over 200 taken hostage, Israel has been striking back against Hamas in Gaza. What does internationa...

The new Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk KC MP from 2023-06-13T15:30

The new Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk KC MP speaks to Joshua Rozenberg. How does he respond to criticisms levelled at the reforms of the Parole Board proposed in...

How well is the Parole Board protecting the public? from 2023-06-06T15:30

Is the Parole Board getting it right with prisoner releases? Last year, the then Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab thought not, and introduced reform proposals to, ...

Climate Change Challenging the Law from 2023-05-30T15:00

The law is having to deal with new challenges due to climate change. Is it a human right to be protected from global warming? Do the 46 member states of the Council of Europe have to reduce ca...

How to Improve Rape Trials from 2023-05-23T15:30

Conviction rates for rape trials are lower than those for other criminal trials, and the court experience can be intrusive and harrowing for survivors. The Law Commission of England and Wales (...

The Legacy of the Good Friday Agreement from 2023-03-28T15:30

For a special edition recorded on location in Belfast, Joshua Rozenberg returns to Northern Ireland 25 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, which he reported on at the time. Me...

The State of Prosecutions from 2023-03-21T16:30

New evidence shows that if a rape case actually comes to court, then - despite popular perceptions - juries are more likely to convict than not, says Professor Cheryl Thomas of UCL.

The ...

Strikes Minimum Service Levels from 2023-03-14T16:30

There are strikes again this week, by junior doctors, and train and tube drivers. The government's Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) bill aims to require sectors like health, education and transp...

Justice for Ukraine from 2023-03-07T16:30

A year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Joshua asks Attorney General Victoria Prentis MP and Professor Philippe Sands KC how the law can help to deliver justice for Ukraine. Could Russia's l...

Full-length interview with Robert Spano, recent president of the ECHR from 2022-11-18T07:00

The international lawyer Robert Spano, originally from Iceland, has just completed his nine-year stint as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. For the last two and half o...

The UK and the European Court of Human Rights from 2022-11-15T16:30

Is the UK on a collision course with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg? So far the UK's relationship with the ECHR has been a good one, and the UK has proportionately fewer cases...

Protest and the Law from 2022-11-08T16:30

Climate change activists have caused a lot of disruption over the past year, and recently also made headlines with stunts like throwing tomato soup at a Van Gogh painting in the National Gallery...

Scrapping European law from 2022-11-01T16:30

The government is currently committed to a bonfire of laws which were inherited from the EU after Brexit - including things like the right to four weeks' paid annual leave. The Retained EU Law (...

Secrecy in the Court of Protection? from 2022-10-25T17:16

How can a court decide that a young woman is to have medical treatment without her knowledge or that of her mother or guardian? The Court of Protection - which rules on cases involving 'protecte...

Prison Education from 2022-07-05T15:30

Prison education is “chaotic”, says the House of Commons Education Select Committee, and often “inadequate” says Ofsted. Yet, if done right, it can help reduce offending, and the number of victi...

Human Rights: Reforming the Law from 2022-06-28T15:30

Can the proposed British Bill of Rights be compatible with international law? Joshua Rozenberg speaks to Mark Elliott, Professor of Public Law and Chair of the Faculty of Law at the University ...

Why do so few rape cases go to court? from 2022-06-21T15:30

Explaining the barriers to conviction at every stage of the criminal justice system. Prosecutions for the crime have declined by 40% over the last four years in England and Wales, although they ...

Investigating War Crimes in Ukraine from 2022-06-14T15:30

"We can't conduct effective, timely investigations by remote control in The Hague." International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan QC speaks about the efforts and challenges facing inv...

The Justice Secretary's Plans from 2022-03-22T16:30

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab speaks to Joshua Rozenberg about the UK's support for the International Criminal Court's efforts to prosecute any Russians who may have committed war crimes in Ukr...

Libel tourism from 2022-03-15T16:30

Has silencing journalists with libel claims now become harder? The High Court dismissed a suit by a Kazakhstan company against journalist Tom Burgis, author of 'Kleptopia'. The phenomenon of fo...

Gender recognition from 2022-03-08T16:28

Is Scotland's Gender Recognition bill a progressive step forward, or a threat to women? Joshua Rozenberg investigates the legislation, which removes the need for medical evidence when changing g...

Ukraine: war and law from 2022-03-01T16:30

How does international criminal law regard Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Joshua Rozenberg speaks to Professor Philippe Sands QC, whose grandfather was forced to flee the Ukrainian city of Lviv o...

Trial and error from 2021-11-16T16:30

Joshua Rozenberg places under the microscope a controversial lawsuit aimed at the governing bodies of rugby. Players diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries, believed to be the result of repeate...

False Memory from 2021-11-02T16:30

Joshua Rozenberg examines the phenomenon of false memories and the impact they can have on courtroom testimony. Can our recollections ever be trusted fully? And, if not, how profound are the implic...

Judges in Jeopardy from 2021-10-26T15:31

Joshua Rozenberg speaks to women judges whose lives have been at risk since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. Forced to leave their high-profile careers behind, many are faced with an impos...

Fighting knife crime from 2021-07-08T13:53

Fighting knife crime before it happens; Scotland's "not proven" verdicts; and the law on automated cars. Knife crime in England and Wales is at its highest in ten years. Some young people can fin...

E-scooting through the law from 2021-06-22T15:30

It’s illegal to ride a private e-scooter on public roads or pavements – but the rules for the new, council approved e-scooter rental schemes are different. We navigate the maze of laws and regulat...

Covid penalties from 2021-06-15T15:30

Thousands of people have received fixed penalty notices for breaching Covid-19 restrictions, even though no offence had actually been committed in their cases. Yet there is no appeals procedure, an...

Traumatic brain injury and crime from 2021-06-08T15:30

Traumatic brain injury can cause neurological changes that make people more impulsive, less able to control their reactions, and less able to understand others. Therefore it's associated with viole...

Reforming Judicial Review from 2021-04-23T13:37

Judicial Review is a mechanism to check the legality of decisions or actions by public bodies such as the government or parliament. But has this turned into "politics by another means"? The governm...

Can the law fight climate change? from 2021-03-16T16:30

Around the world environmentalists are taking governments and companies to court to fight climate change. Joshua Rozenberg explores how the law is evolving into a powerful activists' tool. In the...

Exclusive interview with the lawyer of Anne Sacoolas from 2021-03-09T16:30

Amy Jeffress, the US lawyer of Anne Sacoolas, speaks exclusively to Joshua Rozenberg, about the accident that led to the death of Northamptonshire teenager Harry Dunn, and its aftermath. Scotland...

Civil Justice for Harry Dunn? from 2021-03-02T16:30

A civil claim has been launched in the state of Virginia by the parents of Harry Dunn, who was killed in Northamptonshire in 2019 when his motorcycle was in collision with a car driven on the wrong...

Jack Merritt's legacy from 2020-11-17T16:30

Remembering Jack Merritt, who was murdered in the attack at London Bridge in November 2019. He and Saskia Jones, who was also killed, were associated with an offender rehabilitation programme at Ca...

Good advice from 2020-11-10T16:30

How has the North Kensington Law Centre managed to keep going for 50 years when other social legal advice providers have run out of money? One reason must be the vision of Peter Kandler, 85, who se...

Fire Courts from 2020-11-03T16:30

The lessons of history: what the Great Fire of London can teach us about dealing with a modern plague. And, as the lord chief justice tells his judges to keep calm and carry on — despite the lockdo...

The International Criminal Court from 2020-10-27T16:30

An independent investigation into the International Criminal Court has revealed examples of bullying, sexual harassment and judicial incompetence. Victims of war crimes are having to wait a lifetim...

Reinventing the law from 2020-06-16T15:30

How can the courts cope with the constraints of Coronavirus? That’s the challenge facing Lord Burnett of Maldon, head of the judiciary in England and Wales. Joshua Rozenberg asks the Lord Chief Ju...

Gambling with the law from 2020-06-09T15:00

A poker player who used a Victorian conjuring trick to win £7.7 million from a London casino left court empty-handed in 2017 after a court found he “took positive steps to fix the deck”. But now ju...

Justice in lockdown from 2020-06-02T15:30

Can virtual courts deliver justice? We speak to participants of a mock jury trial held by law reform group Justice, with legal teams and jurors replacing the courtroom with the sitting room. Sco...

Workplace law from 2020-05-27T13:54

Recent high-profile discrimination claims have cast a media spotlight on the employment tribunals of England, Wales and Scotland. But how good are they are at resolving disputes between employers a...

Deferred Prosecution Agreements: pragmatic but unprincipled? from 2020-05-27T08:51

Earlier this year, Airbus was ordered to pay nearly €1bn by a criminal court in London. The penalty, for failure to prevent bribery, was more than twice the fines paid by defendants in England and ...

An Enterprising Court from 2020-03-11T17:52

Tucked away in the City of London is one of the UK’s most successful invisible exports. But is the Commercial Court threatened by international developments? Joshua Rozenberg investigates. Italy h...

Supporting evidence from 2020-03-03T16:30

Imagine what it must be like to be a child with autism. Your school won’t give you the support you need. But challenging that decision involves giving evidence at a tribunal where the lighting seem...

On parole from 2020-02-25T16:30

The Parole Board will soon have to decide whether it’s safe to release prisoners convicted of low-level terrorist offences. But how effective is it at predicting whether a criminal will reoffend? J...

What’s it really like to be in prison? from 2019-11-19T16:30

The secrets of life behind bars, revealed in a new podcast series. Joshua Rozenberg meets the ex-prisoners and others behind the project from The Prison Radio Association and The Prison Reform Tru...

Abusive parents from 2019-11-12T16:30

Should parents with a history of domestic abuse be allowed to see their children? How can the family courts protect children from further abuse? Joshua Rozenberg asks where the law should draw the ...

Help for vulnerable witnesses from 2019-11-05T16:30

Joshua Rozenberg visits a busy Crown Court where vulnerable or intimidated witnesses can give pre-recorded evidence and face cross-examination before the defendant stands trial. Researcher: Diane ...

Legal lessons from Brexit from 2019-10-29T16:30

In holding the government to account over Brexit, our judges have added new pages to the UK's uncodified constitution. Joshua Rozenberg finds the law more active today than at any time since he lau...

Rape Myths from 2019-06-25T15:30

Do jurors believe in rape myths? A coalition campaigning to end violence against women said a third of people questioned in an opinion poll thought that sex without consent was not rape if there wa...

Julian Assange: What next? from 2019-06-18T15:30

Prosecutors in the United States want Julian Assange extradited to face charges of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified defence documents. What chance does he have of defeating the US extra...

Raising the Bar? from 2019-06-11T15:30

Should a non-traditional background be a bar to joining the Bar? Barristers want the best recruits. But many law students waste time and money training for a profession they will never succeed in j...

Brexit and the EU judiciary from 2019-06-04T16:54

What will happen to the European Union judiciary after Brexit? Eleanor Sharpston QC is a British member of the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg. She argues it’s in the interests of both the UK and...

Jailhouse Law from 2019-05-24T11:05

Joshua Rozenberg reports from a prison where inmates study legal issues alongside law students from Cambridge University. The academics who launched this ground-breaking project have found that bot...

Online Abuse and the Law from 2019-03-19T16:30

Joshua Rozenberg asks whether new laws are needed to protect online and social media users from abuse? Plus, in our latest look behind the scenes of courts large and small, we visit an immigrati...

The Family Drug and Alcohol Court from 2019-03-05T16:30

We visit a problem-solving court in Coventry. Joshua Rozenberg speaks to judges, social workers and a mother whose drug addiction put her at risk of losing her children. Producer: Neil Koenig

The Supreme Court from 2019-02-26T16:30

Behind the scenes at the UK's top court: Joshua Rozenberg talks to staff, officials and the court’s most senior justices. Why do they allow some appeals and refuse even to hear others? How activist...

Peacemaking, New York style. from 2018-11-20T16:30

Judge Alex Calabrese can wield the big stick if he needs to. But peacemakers at the Red Hook Community Justice Centre in Brooklyn often find it more effective to pass round what they call a talking...

How did the US Supreme Court become so powerful? from 2018-11-13T16:30

Joshua Rozenberg hears the story of the extraordinary case that rewrote the way America is governed - giving the Supreme Court the power to overrule Congress. He discovers what American prosecutors...

Can the law rein in Amazon? from 2018-11-06T16:30

There is a possibility of a new legal challenge to the tech giants. Early last year, an unknown American law student published a scholarly article in a distinguished journal. Lina Khan argued that ...

Should a former soldier be tried without a jury? from 2018-10-30T16:30

Dennis Hutchings, a former soldier charged with attempted murder in Northern Ireland in 1974, says the UK Supreme Court should let him face trial by jury, rather than a hearing at a special court w...

Facial Recognition Technology from 2018-06-26T15:30

Some police forces are using automated facial recognition technology to pick suspects out of a crowd. But is face mapping a valuable tool in the fight against serious crime or a new threat to our c...

Social media in the dock from 2018-06-19T15:30

Does social media pose a threat to criminal justice - and can fair trials be ensured? In this week's programme, Sir Brian Leveson, head of criminal justice in the courts of England and Wales, tell...

Should justice move online? from 2018-06-12T15:30

Is moving justice online a good idea? In British Columbia they have done just that, with a new online tribunal handling things like small claims and property disputes. Could something like this wor...

No-fault Divorce from 2018-06-05T15:30

Should it be easier to end a marriage? The Supreme Court is currently considering a rare defended divorce. Campaigners hope the case will prompt a change in the law in England and Wales - but other...

Interview with Lord Chancellor David Gauke from 2018-03-20T16:31

David Gauke MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice speaks to Joshua Rozenberg about prisons, modernising the courts system, legal aid and the coroners service. Also: Could plans to...

Driverless Cars and the Law from 2018-03-13T16:30

The government wants fully self-driving cars on UK roads by 2021 but which will be ready first - the technology or the law? Who is responsible in an accident - the owner or the manufacturer? Joshu...

Sex Discrimination Law from 2018-03-06T16:30

Is sex discrimination law failing women in the workplace? It's more than 40 years since parliament passed the first Sex Discrimination Act, making it unlawful for employers to discriminate agains...

Failings in Evidence Disclosure from 2018-02-27T16:30

The number of prosecutions in England and Wales that collapsed because of a failure by police or prosecutors to disclose evidence increased by 70% in the last two years. Joshua Rozenberg speaks to...

Trump, the FBI and the Law from 2018-02-07T14:23

Following the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate alleged links between Russians and Donald Trump's election campaign, Joshua Rozenberg finds out what the role of the sp...

Interview with The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2017-11-21T15:14

In his first interview since taking office, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Sir Ian Burnett talks to Joshua Rozenberg. He explains what can be done to gain back public confidence. A...

Investigating the Dead from 2017-11-14T15:20

Joshua Rozenberg asks what's the point of investigating the dead over allegations of abuse. He speaks to the former judge Sir Richard Henriques, who is critical of recent police investigations into...

Acid Attacks and the Law from 2017-11-07T13:01

Professor Simon Harding, criminologist at the University of West London, considers proposals to control the sale and possession of corrosive substances with Joshua Rozenberg.

The Lawyers Working for GCHQ from 2017-10-31T18:05

Joshua Rozenberg talks exclusively to the director for legal affairs at the government's signals service GCHQ and asks him why the UK's secret intelligence agency needs lawyers.

Interview with the Lord Chancellor David Lidington from 2017-06-27T15:45

Joshua Rozenberg examines the implications for the criminal justice system - especially the courts and prisons - of the growing number of prosecutions and convictions of older people for sexual off...

The Law After the Election from 2017-06-13T17:05

Following the general election, Joshua Rozenberg introduces a special live discussion programme in which he and his guests consider what the composition of the new House of Commons means for the la...

Why Are We Short of Judges? from 2017-03-16T12:37

Vacancies for senior Judges and circuit Judges are now at an all-time high - why? The Judiciary is still reeling from last year's "Enemies of the People" headlines and morale is low, with many ...

Joint Enterprise and Homicide Law from 2016-11-15T16:00

Joint Enterprise is the law by which a group of people can be convicted with the same offence and earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled that Joint Enterprise law had been misinterpreted for 30 ...

Brexit in the High Court from 2016-11-08T16:00

The High Court has decided that Prime Minister Theresa May cannot trigger Brexit without an Act of Parliament - but what are the legal ramifications of this ruling? This week, Joshua Rozenberg ex...

Terrorism, Extremism and the Law from 2016-11-01T15:16

Do the laws designed to counter terrorism and extremism strike the right balance between stopping violent attacks and protecting our civil liberties? Weighing up this question has been one of the ...

Interview with Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecutions from 2016-10-25T17:15

Thirty years ago the Crown Prosecution Service was established - the body which acts as a gatekeeper to the criminal justice system of England and Wales. Those three decades have not been an easy r...