"The Human Rights Act 1998, which received Royal Assent in November 1998 incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. For the first time, rights which are enshrined in the Convention can be directly relied upon in domestic courts and, as many of these rights concern the treatment of individuals at the hands of public authorities, the implications for the criminal justice system will be profound and wide ranging." "Criminal Justice and the Human Rights Act 1998 is the only book to provide a detailed analysis of what this will mean for criminal lawyers and those working within the criminal justice system. It explains how the Act could provide new lines of defence in criminal trials, examines the new rights governing the treatment of suspects and assesses how the Act could affect the use of evidence in criminal trials. In particular, the book highlights the aspects of existing legislation which will be most open to challenge under the new regime."--BOOK JACKET.