Saturday 17 January 2015

10 MoJ Things You May Not Know


  • We are implementing an ambitious programme to transform the justice system, leaving it more effective, less costly, and more responsive to the public, making it easier for businesses to operate and by actively promoting the UK as a global centre for legal expertise. 
  • MoJ is one of the top performing departments in respect of the business it places with Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME). In 2013–14, 37.2% of our spend went to SMEs, far exceeding the Government’s aspiration of 25%. At the end of quarter 2 2014–15 indicative direct spend with SME’s was at 36.3%.
  • Just Solutions international (JSi), is the commercial brand for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) promoting products and services to international justice markets. In August 2014, JSi submitted a £5.9m proposal to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Finance to conduct a training needs analysis across all the learning and development programmes within the Saudi Arabian Prison Service. Also in August, JSi submitted a large scale bid to the Royal Oman Police (ROP) proposing assistance for the design of a new prison. Discussions are currently taking place with ROP about further learning and development training programmes. JSi has also recently won a bid to the value of £848k (€1,071k) to provide support with the development of a Probation Service in Macedonia.
  • JSi generated £551k in revenue for NOMS in 2013–14, and will continue to build on this during 2014–15 financial year.
  • In February 2015, the UK will host the Global Law Summit, a world-class international event to coincide with the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. The event will showcase the depth and adaptability of the UK legal system and will demonstrate the foundation that our rule of law has created for businesses to flourish.
  • The Secretary of State made a visit to Brazil in May 2014, encompassing Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. He attended a Law Society event in Rio alongside the Lord Mayor of London, a roundtable on dispute resolution and spoke to students at a university, as well as holding high-level bilateral meetings with the Brazilian Justice Minister, President of the Supreme Court and both the federal and Sao Paulo bar associations. The visit has contributed to the growing legal relationship between Brazil and the UK. 
  • The Secretary of State visited Riyadh in September 2014 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Judicial Cooperation, to build upon the existing bilateral justice relationship, promote UK legal services in Saudi Arabia and raise awareness of the upcoming Global Law Summit. He also met UK lawyers with offices in Riyadh. Discussions were also held on judicial cooperation, King Abdullah’s reform programme, and human rights issues.
  • The Secretary of State also visited Doha in September 2014 with the aim of establishing a productive professional relationship with Qatar’s relatively new Justice Minister and to build on the existing relationship the department has with the Qatari Attorney General. The visit also served to promote UK legal services in Qatar and raise awareness of the Global Law Summit. He also met the Emir, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, the Head of Qatar’s Human Rights Committee and UK lawyers with offices in Doha.
  • Lord Faulks visited Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan during October 2014. The primary objectives of the visit were to emphasise the UK’s support to Kazakhstan as per the Strategic Partnership signed in 2013 by both Prime Ministers and to encourage swifter progress on negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding on Judicial Cooperation. The Memorandum of Understanding on justice cooperation was signed with the Kazakhstan Prosecutor General’s Office on the 3rd December 2014. Lord Faulks also visited the business capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty, to promote the Global Law Summit. In Kyrgyzstan, Lord Faulks highlighted the UK’s support to the rule of law reforms currently underway.
  • Lord Faulks also went to Shanghai and Beijing in November 2014 where the focus of the visit was to raise market access issues, promote the Global Law Summit and to follow up on areas of cooperation between the UK MoJ and Chinese MoJ, namely in Prison management and Community Correction work areas.

All these, and lots more gems, can be found here in the 'MoJ Mid Year Report to Parliament April to September 2014'.

Postscript

This from the JSi website:-

JSi provides a range of solutions across the Justice system, from policing through courts to prisons and community sentence delivery. A particular focus is on reducing re-offending and recidivism. JSi has been created as a social enterprise by a team of entrepreneurs within the UK Justice system. We deliver our services to customers in conjunction with NOMS.
JSi can offer a range of off the shelf solutions from training programmes for staff working in prisons and community settings to assessment systems and risk management systems. We have a wide catalogue of interventions for specific offender groups. Many are accredited to ensure the highest standards.
The Justice system in England and Wales is known for its work on integrated offender management. We are able to share our learning and have systems and processes that will assist others to develop similarly joined up work between prisons and community offender services.
We have recently adopted commissioning and payment by results models in England and Wales. JSi has experts in both areas and can help you to consider whether bringing private and voluntary sector organisations and new payment mechanisms into delivery of your services makes sense.
More information about who we are, and what we can offer is available in our brochure; which is available HERE

13 comments:

  1. Oh my, the esteemed company they keep and the dizzy heights they aspire to in order to ensure our MoJ is 'top drawer' - AND they generated £500k revenue!! Blimey, I need a sit down & a cup of tea.

    Uber venture capitalist and currency investor/gambler Jim Rogers was on R4 this morning & wouldn't crumble when asked several times how much money he'd made on the crash of the Swiss Franc. Amusingly his answer was to the effect that "Those in the City of London might want to tell everyone how much they earn, but my parents taught me better manners."

    However, he and George Soros have a lot to answer for with their Quantum Fund:

    "The Quantum Group of Funds are privately owned hedge funds based in CuraƧao (Netherlands Antilles) and Cayman Islands. They are currently advised by George Soros through his company Soros Fund Management. Soros started the fund in 1973 in partnership with Jim Rogers. The shareholders of the funds are not publicly disclosed although it is known that the Rothschild family and other wealthy Europeans put $6 million into the funds in 1969.[1]

    In 1992, the lead fund, Soros's Quantum Fund became famous for "breaking" the Bank of England, forcing it to devalue the pound. Soros had bet his entire fund in a short sale on the ultimately fulfilled prediction that the British currency would drop in value, a coup that netted him a profit of $1 billion[2] (see Black Wednesday)."

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  2. Memorandum of understanding being brought out at these meeting, conferences etc- shame CG et al have nil understanding about rehabilitation, the probation and prison services- it's all about the money, money money! Memo to CG - next time you leave the country on the tax payers dollar- don't come back ya filthy animal!

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  3. I hear that Grayling is finally going to make a decision (or rather announce) the future of the HMI Probation CI ( aka the 70% inspector) next Tuesday! I'm not holding my breath!!! He normally only backs down when forced to by the courts!!

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  4. Global law summit is 23 to 25th feb. Let's go and protest

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    1. Oh yes lets. I feel a very strong urge to shout a lot.

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  5. I just noted the shining beacons of justice and democracy that JSi visit and support. Makes me proud to be British

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  6. We are mostly talking about NOMS foreign business here, and sorry but £500k wouldn't pay for the airfares. As the bloke down the car boot told me "doesn't matter how much money people have got, and how cheap the prices are, unless you are a very skilled salesman, you can't sell crap.", And let's face it why would anyone buy anything from NOMS unless they it was a bureaucracy. As far as I can see, when you are trying selling shit you either go to some vulnerable old dear who is confused, or to some bloke who has got too much money to know what to do with it.......so at least NOMS have got that right, and shown what morals our less than esteemed MoJ have. I thought we were supposed to have a respected Justice system?

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  7. I want to puke! swanning round the world at great expense, ponsing about, making themselves look important, while ensuring they are lining their own purses with no more than a few daft/dangerous ideas on how to save/make money, while their own justice system is collapsing and poverty is exploding. It is a shameful disgrace.

    Moj one of the 'top performing depts in respect of the business it places with small and medium sized enterprises'?'Just Solutions International'? - have they got a brill idea for an exciting new merger of Monopoly and Cluedo? --What about tidying their own backyard and less of the parlour games? Go straight to jail. Do not collect £200. And hang yourselves in the library.

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  8. As always, a worthwhile read!

    Having ploughed my way through the MOJ's self-congratulatory puffery, I was delighted to learn that Mr Grayling and his minions have been rubbing shoulders with assorted tyrants and human rights abusers around the globe.

    Let's both hope that he didn't pick up any bright ideas from the Saudis about public floggings for bloggers who rock the boat... I suspect that you and I might be fairly high up on Mr G's list of those he thinks deserve a good whacking!

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    1. Yes that thought crossed my mind too Alex - we'd just have to rely on our friends in the legal profession to come to our aid.

      Well done on your blogging efforts and very glad to see you gaining notice and readership increasing.

      Cheers,

      Jim

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    2. DItto both - genuinely - meanwhile Napo seem to be hoping to protect existing pay conditions for probation workers and are beginning by rejecting the 0% and a request that folk join - I hope this turns into a big recruitment drive because a unified staff is a strong staff, just consider the folk in firms like ASDA where there is no union recognition. Napo and Unison ARE recognised at the minute but can lose it - I would not put it past the CRCs or the NPS to insist on ballots to see if workers want the Unions to remain recognised & authorised to negotiate terms and conditions, including pay and pensions - I do not know the exact procedure but there is one and the outcome - despite short term goodies would be worse.

      http://www.napo2.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=920

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  9. but don't rely on legal aid Jim. But don't worry, I'm sure we in the anon and semi-anon club will pass the hat round!

    You deserve an MBE for your support to hundreds, nay thousands of stressed professionals (and I don't mean those in the MoJ!)

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    1. I took EVR, don't worry, Jim's covered. In fact, I'm sure I can cover David Laws court expenses too, you know, for paying his boyfriend rent to the tune of 40 grand, when he didn't declare the relationship. No problem!. Hang on...David Laws isn't going to court?...

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