Criminal Justice: The way forward

Criminal Justice - The Way Ahead http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm50/5074/5074.htm

The Government in February 2001, unveiled its vision for a modern, efficient criminal justice system to help police, prosecutors, courts, prisons and probation deal more effectively with offenders, and step up support for victims and witnesses. Criminal Justice - The Way Ahead is published jointly by the Home Office, the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Attorney General's Office and sets out proposals and ideas for reform.

In order to deliver a new criminal justice 'service’, every part of the existing system from detection, prosecution, punishment to resettlement of prisoners, will be subject to reform and modernisation.

See briefing note 'Fit for the Future - Modernising the Criminal Justice System at:

http://www.cjsonline.org/legal/cjs_publications_publications.htm

Extra Resources for the Criminal Justice System

An extra £85 million is being injected into the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in 2001/02 to improve the treatment of victims and witnesses, help bring more offenders to justice, and reduce delay. The investment announced in the Criminal Justice Business Plan 2001-2002 published in February 2001, is the first payout from a reserve of £525 million for the CJS announced as part of the Spending Review 2000. The Business Plan sets out the aims, objectives and targets for the CJS to deliver over the next year. Of the £85 million, some £40 million is being allocated to the Lord Chancellor’s Department;

• £30million to the Crown Prosecution Service;

• £6million to the Home Office; and £10million for the development of new joined-up IT systems and working across the CJS at national and local level. The money will be spent on initiatives such as:

Better services for victims and witnesses:

• £4.6 million will be spent on introducing victim personal statements to give victims a chance to inform the court of the effect of the crime on them;

• £4.2 million will help extend witness support services in the Crown Court to all magistrates’ courts by April 2002;

• and the Crown Prosecution Service will spend an extra £3 million on making direct contact with victims, either by letter or in face to face meetings, to explain decisions to drop or alter charges;

Ensuring that the criminal justice system can deal swiftly and fairly with the additional offenders being brought to justice (‘attrition'):

• £16.3 million is being spent on the courts, legal aid and Crown Prosecution Service;

Reducing delay:

• £4 million will be spent on improving case progression in the magistrate's courts and an additional £4 million will go on reducing delay in the youth courts.

Further details can be found at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/new.htm

Details of how the £85 million will be spent are contained in the Criminal Justice Business Plan 2001-2002, which is available on the CJS website at http://www.criminal-justice-system.gov.uk.