Justice officials are standing by a policy incentivising duty lawyers to achieve early guilty pleas.

Lawyers are paid extra for getting their client to enter a plea for all charges and for getting a guilty plea and sentencing on the same day.

The Ministry of Justice says the payment takes into account the extra work involved with progressing a client's case and lawyers must still ensure defendants are fully informed.

Criminal justice advocate Sir Kim Workman told Kate Hawkesby that's not how things will work in practice.

“It might mean that the guy that was arrested one evening appears before the court the next day and might still be under the influence of alcohol doesn't really understand what’s going on.”

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