From Blackstone’s
It has been a difficult year for the criminal courts and those who practise in them, a point specifically acknowledged in the preface to the 30th anniversary edition of Blackstone’s Criminal Practice, published in 2020 by OUP, where it notes that COVID-19 has created ‘unprecedented challenges for the criminal justice system’.
It rightly refers to the impact of the COVID-19 regulations and the Coronavirus Act 2020 which continue to cause controversy and, at times, confusion in their implementation, not least in the minds of the police and Crown Prosecution Service.
Interestingly, the preface emphasises the important contribution made by the regular supplements provided throughout the year, which keep practitioners completely up to date with a fast-moving situation. A few words need to be said about these supplements. Often forgotten in the context of reviewing the substantive work, they are increasingly essential in an area of law that is one of the fastest developing disciplines and perhaps the most reactive to political knee
