Thomas Sargant was a British law reform

Law reform

Law reform or Legal reform is the process of examining existing laws, and advocating and implementing changes in a legal system, usually with the aim of enhancing justice or efficiency....

er who campaigned for the promotion of human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

. He was educated at Highgate School

Highgate School

-Notable members of staff and governing body:* John Ireton, brother of Henry Ireton, Cromwellian General* 1st Earl of Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice, owner of Kenwood, noted for judgment finding contracts for slavery unenforceable in English law* T. S...

.

Sargant, for much of his life a businessman and politician, became increasingly concerned with the impact of the law and legal services upon ordinary people. In the mid 1950s, he was asked to help mobilise lawyers in support of those accused in treason

Treason

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...

 trials in Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 and South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, and JUSTICE

JUSTICE

JUSTICE is a human rights and law reform organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is the British section of the International Commission of Jurists, the international human rights organisation of lawyers devoted to the legal protection of human rights worldwide...

 was set up as a result. Tom Sargant became its first Secretary and was a driving force of the organisation until his retirement in 1982.

As a result of his commitment, persistence and determination, JUSTICE played a key role in taking up the cause of miscarriage of justice

Miscarriage of justice

A miscarriage of justice primarily is the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. The term can also apply to errors in the other direction—"errors of impunity", and to civil cases. Most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn, or "quash", a wrongful...

 cases. Sargant's tireless campaigning resulted in some 25 people being released, or released early, from prison. He was instrumental in the establishment of the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 series Rough Justice, which led to the release of 18 victims of miscarriages of justice.

He also played a major role in bringing about other key measures such as the creation of the office of Ombudsman

Ombudsman

An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...

 and the establishment of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. In 1966 he was awarded an OBE and became a JP

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

. He was made Honorary Master of Laws at Queen's University Belfast in 1977.

In 1989 the first Thomas Sargant Memorial Lecture was given in his memory and has been given every year since. The lectures are organised by JUSTICE

JUSTICE

JUSTICE is a human rights and law reform organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is the British section of the International Commission of Jurists, the international human rights organisation of lawyers devoted to the legal protection of human rights worldwide...

. Tom Sargant's daughter was the educationalist Naomi Sargant

Naomi Sargant

Naomi Ellen Sargant, Lady McIntosh was a British academic specialising in adult education and television executive...

(1933–2006).