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Cuts are courting trouble
• MARTIN Seel, of the Legal Service Commission, seems to miss the point behind the action taken by criminal defence solicitors (Legal aid part of a fair society, February 23). We obviously welcome the fact there are no planned cuts for the civil and family legal aid budget. But the action was in relation to the planned cuts to the criminal legal aid budget through the Carter reforms and the reintroduction of means testing which has led to many people, including vulnerable members of society, being unrepresented at court as they have not qualified for legal aid.
The government has passed more criminal legislation than any other, which has the effect of more people being arrested for more types of crimes, some that previously did not exist. This will inevitably lead to an increase in demand on the legal aid fund.
Defence work cannot be undertaken in the same way as prosecution work, with one prosecutor conducting every case in that particular court.
Prosecutors do not have to advise their clients (some of whom are very anxious and suffer from social and health problems), as they are instructed by the police.
Cuts in legal aid are already leading to more unrepresented people at court. This delays proceedings (at a cost), and increases the risk of wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice.
BEN TICEHURST
Criminal solicitor, Shearman Bowen and Co, EC1
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