Law Commission Says Tribunals Should Be Able to Jail People for Contempt of Court

Two years after the government asked the Law Commission of England and Wales to review the law on contempt of court, it has published a review.

Police offices stand on duty outside the Old Bailey, England's Central Criminal Court, as they await the sentencing of British police officer Wayne Couzens for the murder of Sarah Everard in London on Sept. 30, 2021. Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

The Law Commission has recommended extending the power to imprison people for breaching the Contempt of Court Act from criminal courts to immigration tribunals and other bodies.

It is one of a number of changes to the law surrounding contempt of court, the principle which is supposed to protect British citizens’ right to a fair trial before an unprejudiced jury.