Criminal Law Reform Now
| DOI | 10.1177/0022018317705771 |
| Author | John Child,Jonathan Rogers |
| Date | 01 August 2017 |
| Published date | 01 August 2017 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Criminal Law Reform Now:
A New Reform Network
John Child
University of Sussex, UK
Jonathan Rogers
University College London, UK
Abstract
The principal aim of this article is to introduce a new criminal law reform initiative: The
Criminal Law Reform Now Network (CLRN Network). The article begins in Part 1 by setting
the scene for law reform in this jurisdiction, exposing and discussing four major challenges that
await any would-be reformer or network: 1) The Political Red Line, 2) The Political Preference
for Simple Headlines, 3) The Political Indifference to Principles of Criminalisation, and 4) The
Division Between Academics and Practitioners.
From here, in Part 2, we introduce the ambitions and processes envisaged for the new
CLRN Network. Launched in 2017, the mission of the CLRN Network is to facilitate colla-
boration between academics and other legal experts to gather and disseminate comprehen-
sible proposals for criminal law reform to the wider community. The aim is to include members
of the public and mainstream media as well as legal professionals, police, policymakers and
politicians. Proposals from the CLRN Network might require legislation, but will not be
restricted to such projects. Reforms which public bodies such as the Home Office, Police or
CPS could bring about by internal policies may be included, as well as reforms which require
the support of some of the judiciary, bearing in mind the proper judicial constraints on law
making. The CLRN Network will be ready to consult with and make suggestions to anyone
who has the power to bring about reform.
Keywords
Reform, Network, Law Reform Now
Academics and other legal researchers have always played a valuable role in the reform of criminal law,
both through critique of the current law and through advocating reform options. There is no doubt that
the expertise of legal researchers can contribute to better reforms of the law, and it is a position that
Corresponding author:
John Child, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK.
Email: j.j.child@sussex.ac.uk
The Journal of Criminal Law
2017, Vol. 81(4) 282–291
ªThe Author(s) 2017
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DOI: 10.1177/0022018317705771
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