Justice Week 2021

Hosted for its third year by CILEX, the Bar Council and the Law Society, Justice Week 2021 will take place from 1 to 5 March 2021, exclusively online.

Our aims

Justice Week exists in order to improve the ability of the public to access justice, and has the following specific objectives:

• build public support and understanding for the rule of law and justice
• increase public understanding of the role of government in the justice system
• identify and secure support for actions which could improve justice

Our theme for 2021

Rights and Justice: the cost of COVID-19

No single event in recent history has had as pervasive, immediate and indelible an effect on all our lives, our communities and our institutions as the COVID-19 pandemic. And this is as true of our laws and our justice system as it is of other essential public services.

Our most vulnerable citizens, from those at risk of domestic violence to people living in care homes, have struggled to access justice when they have needed it the most. Our courts and tribunals have had to embrace the world of remote hearings almost overnight, and it is not clear if and when normality will return. Our freedoms have been limited and policed in new and at times controversial ways.

Against this background, now is the time for a vital health check on our rights, our justice system and ultimately on the rule of law.

Our target audience

This year, we want our theme and activities to reach as wide a public audience as possible.

Not only is our theme relevant to everyone, but with all of our activity taking place online, there are fewer limits on who can take part than ever before, though individual activities might appeal to some groups more than others (for example, the Big Legal Lesson will be most relevant to young people, teachers and parents).

In the same way, we encourage stakeholders to treat the current circumstances as a formidable opportunity to engage with and include members of the public who might previously have felt, despite our best efforts, that our activities were not aimed at them.

Our planned resources and activities

The below activities will form the backbone of the week, and be promoted throughout via our media activity, including social media.

All Week	– Omnibus Survey Results
	– Justice in Parliament
Tuesday	– Accessing justice for wrongful convictions
Wednesday	– Go the Extra Mile for Justice day 2021
	– The mental health mentality: bringing the Mental Health Act into the 21st century
Thursday	– Justice Week Question Time
Friday	– The Big Legal Lesson