Blair's Laws: New Labour's Obsession with Creating Criminal Offences

Due October 2007
Since the Labour Government came to power in 1997 they have created over 3,000 new criminal offences, a new offence for almost every day they have been in office. From the detention of terrorist suspects without trial to ASBOs, parenting orders to race crimes, the Government's legislation has touched thousands of lives across the whole of British society. This unprecedented level of law-making has been consistently criticised as knee-jerk and counter-productive, not least by the police and judges charged with its enforcement.

Why has the obsession with law-making developed? How effective has it really been? This book, written by a leading criminal barrister, is the first to examine the whole raft of criminal legislation under Blair and assess its impact on our justice system.

• The first book to examine the whole raft of criminal legislation under Blair: From anti-terrorism to ASBOs, and assess its impact on our justice system
• Written by a leading criminal barrister with first-hand knowledge of the effectiveness of the new laws
• Considers alternative strategies to legislation in cases where the Government's drive to make new laws has been reactive and counter-productive