The Case for a Royal Commission on the Penal System

An initiative supported by leading political, academic, religious and professional figures. A key document that builds on many years of letters to newspapers and media interest. In association with Queen Mary University of London.

Virtually half-a-century has passed since the last Royal Commission on the Penal System was dissolved, its work uncompleted. Looking forwards, six members of that Commission asserted that after some years a new Royal Commission would be of great public service.

As commentators, writers and practitioners, Sir Louis Blom-Cooper QC and Professor Seán McConville have many decades of experience of penal policy and practice. Some 20 years ago they urged the appointment of a new Royal Commission on the subject. They have since pressed their case in letters to major newspapers and earlier publications. In this pamphlet the force of which is supported by leading figures, they make the case for a new Royal Commission that will be reflective, effective and swift, capable of building consensus and providing directions for a generation. They argue that penal policy is fragmented and frequently irrational, contradictory, counterproductive, insubstantial and put together in a haphazard way. The dynamics and pressures of party politics inevitably mean that penal policy often emerges in response to hard cases and headlines. As this pamphlet claims, broader and more considered views, drawing on evidence and seeking to maximise social good, cannot be delivered by politicians afraid of missing an opportunity to score party political points.

Seán McConville is Professor of Law and Public Policy at Queen Mary, University of London. He has advised legislatures and governments on both sides of the Atlantic. He is the author of a multi-volume history of punishment and his most recent works include Irish Political Prisoners 1920-1962: Pilgrimage of Desolation (Routledge, 2013) and Routledge Guide to Interviewing (with Anna Bryson) (Routledge, 2013). Sir Louis Blom-Cooper QC appeared in many high-profile trials, including at the Old Bailey and in what is now the Supreme Court. Apart from his work on the campaign for the abolition of the death penalty he taught criminology and penology at Bedford College, University of London. He holds a number of honorary doctorates and is a fellow of King's College, London. His books include Fine, Lines and Distinctions: Murder, Manslaughter and the Taking of Human Life (with Terence Morris) (2011).