Human Rights and Civil Liberties

This book provides a wide-ranging and accessible textbook covering the main areas of civil liberties and human rights law as it applies to England and Wales, meeting the requirements of undergraduate law syllabuses.

The book sets out not only the legal rules, common law and statutes which relate to the field of civil liberties and human rights, but also the arguments and debates which have surrounded the development of an increasingly controversial area of the law, looking at the background principles underlying it, the coherence and consistency of the rules one to another and the social and political consequences of their application in practice. Particular attention is paid to the impact of developments in Europe, and especially to the Human Rights Act 1998 which has had an especial impact on the freedom to participate in determining public goals and the ability to preserve an area of personal autonomy. The book also addresses the nature and impact of the major statutory reforms in areas such as surveillance, protection of personal data and freedom of information, and devotes as well a chapter to the increasingly prominent issue of 'terrorism' and how the government and the law should respond.

Table of cases. ­ Tables of acts of parliament. Table of Command, Parliamentary and other official papers. Table of International Acts Part 1: Values and Institutions 1. Introduction and underlying values 2. The institutional setting Part 2: General powers and the duties of the state 3. Public authorities 4. The police and security services 5. Police powers: stop and search, arrest and detention 6. Police powers: entry, search and seizure 7. Surveillance 8. The right to a fair trial 9. Prisoners rights Part 3: Freedom of expression and the media 10. Freedom of expression 11. The media 12. Contempt of court Part 4: Political freedom 13. Political participation and electoral politics 14. Political offences 15. Access to public information 16. National security 17. Public order and political action 18. Terrorism and the law Part :5 Private Life 19. The protection of personal information 20. Bodily integrity 21. Sexual freedom 22. Obscenity and indecency 23. Religious freedom and blasphemy

Howard Davis is Reader in Public Law at the University of Bournemouth Business School. His particular research interests include public law, anti-terrorism legislation, and human rights law and the political process.