England

===Law===
{{Main|English law}}
[[File:Royal Courts of Justice (6201094569).jpg|thumb|The [[Royal Courts of Justice]]|left]]

The [[English law]] legal system, developed over the centuries, is the basis of [[common law]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Common Law |url=http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=248 |access-date=5 October 2013 |website=The People's Law Dictionary |publisher=ALM Media Properties}}</ref> legal systems used in most [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 October 2000 |title=The Common Law in the British Empire |url=http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~law/ASLH/conferences/2000conference/101900345b.htm |access-date=20 August 2011 |publisher=H-net.msu.edu}}</ref> and the United States (except [[Louisiana]]). Despite now being part of the United Kingdom, the legal system of the [[Courts of England and Wales]] continued, under the [[Treaty of Union]], as a separate legal system from [[Scots law|the one used in Scotland]]. The general essence of English law is that it is made by judges sitting in courts, applying their common sense and knowledge of [[legal precedent]] – ''stare decisis'' – to the facts before them.<ref>{{harvnb|Fafinski|2007|p=60}}.</ref>

The court system is headed by the Senior Courts of England and Wales, consisting of the [[Court of Appeal of England and Wales|Court of Appeal]], the [[High Court of Justice]] for civil cases, and the [[Crown Court]] for criminal cases.<ref>{{harvnb|Fafinski|2007|p=127}}.</ref> The [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom]] is the highest court for criminal and civil cases in [[England and Wales]]. It was created in 2009 after constitutional changes, taking over the [[judicial functions of the House of Lords]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitutional reform: A Supreme Court for the United Kingdom |url=http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/supremecourt/supreme.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090117132005/http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/supremecourt/supreme.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2009 |access-date=5 September 2009 |publisher=DCA.gov.uk}}</ref> A decision of the Supreme Court is binding on every other court in the hierarchy, which must follow its directions.<ref>{{harvnb|Fafinski|2007|p=67}}.</ref>

The [[Secretary of State for Justice]] is the minister responsible to Parliament for the [[Judiciaries of the United Kingdom|judiciary]], the court system and prisons and probation in England.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-justice |website=GOV.UK}}</ref> Crime increased between 1981 and 1995 but fell by 42% in the period 1995–2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crime over the last 25 years |url=http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/crime0607summ.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324214809/http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/crime0607summ.pdf |archive-date=24 March 2009 |access-date=5 September 2009 |publisher=HomeOffice.gov.uk}}</ref> The prison population doubled over the same period, giving it one of the [[List of countries by incarceration rate|highest incarceration rates]] in Western Europe at 147 per 100,000.<ref name="Crime BBC">{{Cite news |date=8 February 2008 |title=New record high prison population |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7235438.stm |access-date=5 September 2009}}</ref> [[His Majesty's Prison Service]], reporting to the [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]], manages most prisons, housing 81,309 prisoners in England and Wales {{As of|2022|September|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Offender management statistics quarterly: April to June 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2022/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2022 |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>