Law reform or legal reform is the process of examining existing laws, and advocating and implementing changes in a legal system, usually with the aim of enhancing justice or efficiency.
Slide 2
Current Affairs
Current affairs are sudden events happening in the world which have an influence on the law and usually leads to change. Examples of this include Dunblane, a shooting at a primary school this led to the banning of ownership of hand-guns. Another example would be Hillsborough where there was overcrowding at a football match which led to the Health and Safety regulations which vouched all seated stadiums. More commonly known, is 9/11 which was a terrorist attack I New York where two planes crashed into the World Trade Centre. This led to the anti-terrorism Crime and Safety Act 2001.
Pros
Response to needs of society as it ensures the law is fit for purpose
Keeps the law up to date, as they identify gaps/loopholes and laws are reformed
Preventative, as the aim is to ensure such tragedies never happen again
Cons
Knee-jerk reaction- not thought through
Reactionary- only works after something bad happens
Excessive responses to the disaster can be justified by public outrage
Slide 4
Pressure Groups
Pressure groups are a collection of people who work together to persuade the government to change the law in certain areas and they can campaign against a change in law
Some pressure groups are set up to deal with one issue, others are permanent and are campaigning on several issues at any given time. Examples: Green Peace, Father for Justice.
Insider pressure groups- are groups that are considered 'legitimate' are directly consulted by the Government regarding proposed changes in the law.
Outsider pressure groups- are not consulted on policy decisions and have to work outside the governmental decision making process and therefore, have fewer opportunities to determine the direction of policy.
The aim of a pressure group is to convince those in authority that a considerable amount of people share their opinion and that they should listen to them if they want to be elected.
Examples: Protests, Petitions, Lobbying MPs, Celebrity/media endorsement, shocking images. However the message is lost when groups go too far.
