Get the inside story on justice
17/11/2006
November-18-25th is Inside Justice Week and Baroness Scotland, Minister for Criminal Justice and Offender Management, in an exclusive article for Mature Times, explains why the initiative is critical to ordinary people’s understanding of the country’s Criminal Justice system.
“My newspaper says that crime is going up,” “I don’t feel safe walking to the shops anymore,” and “why offenders are being let off so lightly.” We hear this all too often but there is a more positive side to the story, one that I feel passionately needs to be told.
Did you know that the chance of being a victim of crime is at its lowest since 1981 and that crime is falling? Sentencing has also got a lot more punitive over the last ten years.
Public confidence in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is actually on the increase, people are seeing real change taking place in their local area. This is a direct result of the CJS cutting crime, bringing more offences to justice, improving services to victims and witnesses; and agencies working better together.
Despite this, research shows that older people are still more likely to be fearful of crime even though the risk of becoming a victim is lower than other age groups. Older people are also more likely than younger age groups to think that sentencing is too lenient.
So what are we doing to address these concerns, when the news agenda ignores the fact that the CJS is making huge strides to improve the lives of the law-abiding majority?
In 2004 I launched ‘Inside Justice Week’ to open up and demystify the Criminal Justice System and give the public the opportunity to find out more about how it works.
This year’s campaign takes place between 18-25 November across England and Wales and I’m delighted that I can bring it to the attention of readers of the Mature Times. It is a fantastic opportunity to get involved by looking at important issues, like sentencing, in more depth.
But first, let me make it crystal clear what we are doing. The Government is taking concrete steps to further re-balance the Criminal Justice System in favour of the law-abiding majority and put victims at the heart of what we do. Keeping the public safe is the first duty of criminal justice.
Firstly we recognise that anti-social behaviour is a menace for many people up and down the country and that it needs to be dealt with swiftly and effectively. That is why we have introduced several innovative new powers since 1999 to enable police and local authorities to tackle the problem. These include Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), crack house closure orders and dispersal powers.
These measures, along with a network of specialist anti-social behaviour prosecutors and co-ordinators, have made a real difference to people’s lives by bringing the actions of a selfish minority to task and helping to rebuild confidence in communities. But we recognise that we need to do more and that is why the Government’s Respect Taskforce is driving forward work across Whitehall to tackle the root causes of anti-social behaviour.
The Criminal Justice Act in 2003 also introduced radical changes to the sentencing framework and has given courts much greater powers to protect the public and help reduce re-offending.
One of its key measures was the creation of indeterminate public protection sentences. These are aimed specifically at dangerous sexual and violent offenders. Judges can impose these sentences when they think an offender who has committed a serious offence, specified in the Act, poses a risk to the public. These sentences are unlimited and mean that the offender will only be released if the parole board considers that the person can be safely managed if released.
More recently the Review of the Criminal Justice System, announced by the Home Office in July, looked at the whole justice system - from policing and courts to prisons and probation.
It sets out very clear actions to put victims and the law-abiding majority first. Judges, for instance, will be given discretion to end an automatic one-third discount on a sentence if an offender makes an early guilty plea.
The Review also recognised that how sentences are handed down can often be a complex process. If justice is to be done and be seen to be done it is essential that victims, the public, and the defendant - understand the implications of any sentence.
We want to make sentencing decisions clearer to the public and will be working with sentencers and legal practitioners as well as victims’ groups to look at practical ways of achieving this.
This brings me back to Inside Justice Week. This really is a great opportunity to find out for yourself how justice is done and how the system works by speaking to the people on the front line who are making a real difference.
Justice is a matter for all of us and so I hope Mature Times readers will get involved and debate these issues with us, during the campaign and at other times, to ensure our country has the Criminal Justice System it deserves.
To find out more, visit the link below.