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Justice reform focuses on victims
The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs has set out steps to improve the criminal justice system and raise public confidence.
Lord Falconer said it was appalling that out of 212,000 trials every year 63,000 do not go ahead on time.
“The public just aren’t interested in which agency lets them down. As far as victims and witnesses are concerned, the system is failing. This has to stop.”
From October performance tables will show how each of the 42 criminal justice areas are doing in terms of ineffective trials and timeliness. The government will also identify the best areas and promote their solutions throughout England and Wales.
The government plans to work with criminal justice partners to:
- Get the charge correct at the outset of a case
- Deliver more effective case management, for example by giving more certainty about trial dates
- Improve the service provided to victims, witnesses and defendants, and ultimately improve confidence in the system
- Provide technology to co-ordinate the work of criminal justice agencies
- Bring more offenders to justice
Home Secretary David Blunkett said the changes will help to make sure that properly prepared cases get to trial quickly.
“Bringing offenders to justice is the best way of demonstrating to criminals that their crimes will not go unpunished and to victims that the justice system is there for them,” he added.
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