Victims and Witnesses
Victims and witnesses: Providing better support
The services provided for crime victims and witnesses have had little evaluation. This national report, published by the Audit Commission, looks at current service provisions and what those receiving the service think of facilities.
Title: Victims and witnesses: Providing better support
Author: The Audit Commission
Date published: December 2003
Last year, around one-quarter of the population of England and Wales were victims of crime. For just under one-third of us, the impact of this antisocial behaviour reduces our quality of life. Yet many who experience these problems leave them unreported. This may be because:
the majority of reported crimes to the police will not see an offender brought to justice
people on low incomes, and lone parents, are at greater risk of being repeat victims
one in five victims experience some kind of intimidation, with cases of perverting the course of justice increasing six-fold since 1991.
As part of the drive to increase the number of offenders brought to justice, and to improve public confidence in the criminal justice system (CJS), the Government has made a commitment to putting victims and witnesses at the heart of their plans. The Government has pledged to provide them with the support and services they need, whether within the CJS itself, or through other agencies.
This report concentrates upon:
current service provisions to victims and witnesses
what victims and witnesses on the receiving end of these services think about them.
The report identifies 6 common themes:
agencies understanding the demand for services from victims and witnesses in order to respond appropriately
recognition of cultural changes to meeting individual needs, improving victim and witness satisfaction
clear accountability for performance and service quality, essential to drive improvement
better communication of information critical to keeping victims and witnesses engaged
appropriate and timely support critical to ensuring victims and witnesses stay engaged
agencies achieving significant change by using local resources in a more co-ordinated way.
To help policy makers and practitioners involved in improving services to victims and witnesses, the report has developed additional products, these being:
a self-assessment tool for practitioners in CJS agencies
a workshop for new users of the self-assessment tool
web-based products.
The problem
The Government has responded to declining satisfaction with the CJS by publishing a national strategy for victims and witnesses. However, much more needs to be done to understand and respond to the concerns of victims and witnesses, both at a national and local level.
The majority of people will have some contact with the criminal justice system (CJS) at some stage during their lifetime, with:
52% as victims of crime reported to the police
8% as suspects appearing in court
22% as a witness or spectator appearing in court
10% as a juror.
Public confidence in the CJS is generally low, with the police being rated most highly. Confidence in the police and prisons has declined over the past 5 years. Over two-thirds of the public are not confident that the CJS meets the needs of victims.
Many people's experience as a victim or witness lowers their confidence in the CJS. These negative experiences reduce not only how likely they are to engage with the CJS in future, but also the likelihood of their friends and families to do so.
Around £13 billion is spent annually on the CJS. Apart from just over £29 million that is currently allocated to Victim Support, no specific funding stream is attached to victim and witness care and no activity based costing exists in this area of service delivery.
The way ahead
Improving services to victims and witnesses requires commitment and action from Government, local partnerships, the criminal justice agencies, local authorities and the voluntary sector.
Local action should focus on better services that make victims and witnesses feel that they are an important and valued part of the process. Critical to improvement is a shared local vision of victim and witness care, with clarity about responsibilities. The following improvement issues are necessary:
all CJS and crime reduction partners should design services around victim and witness needs
national targets need to be explicit with regard to victim and witness care
activity based management accounting might to be introduced to CJS and crime reduction agencies.
The greatest challenge facing CJS agencies is the need to see victims and witnesses not only as critical to their performance, but as valued stakeholders, whose differing needs must be recognised and supported. Such initiatives should underpin the development of longer-term solutions to local problems of low confidence, and the under-reporting of incidents.
Visit: Victims and witnesses - Providing better support
Date modified: 05 December 2003
Review date: December 2004
Originator: Crime Reduction Information Services
Last update: Thursday, September 13, 2007