The importance of Policy Clinics in the Access to Justice Eco-System

As part of Pro Bono week, Dr Francine Ryan, Senior Lecturer in Law and Director of the Open Justice Centre at The Open University, discusses the importance of Policy Clinics in supporting access to justice.

Photo-from right to left: Jon-Paul Knight, Liz Hardie, (The Open University) Tracey Hanson (Josh Hanson Trust) and Katrina Miles (University of Lancashire)

Policy Clinics provide students with valuable experience in legal policy and advocacy work, supporting charitable or third sector organisations in efforts to influence government policy and bring about legal change. Through these clinics, students undertake research aimed at informing policy and/or law reform. They explore specific areas of law to identify issues or concerns in how the law operates and gather evidence on its impact on particular groups. This research is essential to ensure that decision-makers are well-informed and equipped with evidence when considering legal change. The students’ findings are compiled into a report, which serves as a foundation for policy and advocacy initiatives in the relevant legal area. This year, The Open University, University of Lancashire and Lancaster University collaborated on a Policy Clinic project in partnership with Josh Hanson Trust.

The Josh Hanson Trust are campaigning to strengthen victims’ rights, including Josh’s law to reform the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme, a vital safeguard for justice and to secure a more victim-centred justice system. The unduly lenient sentencing scheme provides for certain Crown Court sentences to be reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office. If the sentence is considered too lenient, the AGO can request that the Court of Appeal reviews the sentence. Anyone can make a request to review a sentence, although referrals to the AGO are often made by victims, bereaved families, MPs, pressure groups, charities or members of the public. There are very strict deadlines within which a referral can be made. A request must be made within 28 calendar days of the sentence.

The research found there is a need to reform the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme. The scheme needs to take a victim-centered approach, ensuring that victims are notified of their right to appeal cases and informed of their options early or immediately after a sentence is given. The report recommended there needs to be more research on the scheme and better information provided to victims to make sure the victim’s voice is included in the criminal justice process.

On the 14th of October 2025, The Josh Hanson Trust hosted a Parliamentary Event on Victims’ Rights, sponsored and chaired by Blake Stephenson MP. The event included a panel debate to address a 6 year-long call for Josh’s Law, which is the campaign to reform the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme and the Josh Hanson Trust Manifesto, which outlines the key policy goals and vision for a more victim-centred justice system. As part of the debate the report from the students was discussed, as it provides new evidence and data to support the campaign work of Josh Hanson Trust for stronger victims’ rights.

Photo-from right to left: Liz Hardie, (The Open University), Claire Waxman OBE (Victims’ Commissioner for London), Tracey Hanson (Josh Hanson Trust), Blake Stephenson (Conservative MP for Mid-Bedfordshire) and Simon Harding (Professor in Criminology & Sociology at St. Marys University).

The panel included:

Tracey Hanson, CEO and founder of Josh Hanson Trust; Tracey’s son, Josh was murdered in an unprovoked knife attack, and because of her experience navigating the criminal justice system and recognising the lack of support for victims, Tracey has become a voice for bereaved families and victims of serious violent crime.
Claire Waxman OBE,the Victims’ Commissioner for London and Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales from January 2026. Her work aims to overhaul the Criminal Justice Service, to improve the justice journey. She recently published the ‘The London Victim Attrition Review ’ that sets out when and why victims are withdrawing from the criminal justice process and makes recommendations on how to address the issues identified in the research.
Simon Harding, Professor in Criminology & Sociology at St. Marys, University, Twickenham, who has over 40 years practitioner/professional experience in crime reduction and community safety and is Director of the National Centre for Gang Research.
Liz Hardie, Senior Lecturer in Law and member of the Open Justice Centre at The Open University and Policy Clinic lead for the Clinical Legal Education Organisation (CLEO).
Blake Stephenson, Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire.

The students’ work has had an impact by providing evidence which supports the calls for reform of the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme. Their report detailed the rationale when the scheme was set up, collated information about the reviews and amendments to the scheme, explored the proposals for reform which have already been made and provided statistical evidence regarding the operation of the scheme. All of this information supported the Josh Hanson Trust’s proposal to reform the scheme to ensure victims and bereaved families are made aware of it and could therefore exercise their rights under it. The roundtable noted the importance of law reform proposals being underpinned by evidence such as those provided by the report.

The policy clinic report therefore not only directly supported the recommendations of the Josh Hanson Trust but also contributed meaningfully to the wider dialogue on strengthening victims’ rights within the justice system. It illustrates the significant value of Policy Clinics, but also the value of partnership work to create greater impact and reach. The project was a significant collaborative effort of students and academics at The Open University, University of Lancashire and Lancaster University and the Josh Hanson Trust and demonstrates the importance of Policy Clinics in the access to justice eco-system.

With thanks to Katrina Miles at the University of Lancashire, Sadie Whittam and Kathryn Saban at Lancaster University and Debbie Legge at The Open University and all the students who participated in the project.

Francine Ryan

Dr. Francine Ryan is a qualified solicitor, Senior Lecturer in Law and Director of the Open Justice Centre at The Open University.

Francine has worked to develop a range of innovative and technology-enhanced opportunities for OU law students including the Open Justice Online Law Clinic.

Francine’s research areas are in technology and the law.