Prosecutors set to consult public
Plans for a network of "community prosecutors" to liaise with the public
in tackling crime have been announced by the government.
The scheme is part of a Green Paper on community justice in England and
Wales.
Senior prosecuting lawyers will work with police and the public to
prioritise offences. Case outcomes will also be publicised online.
The new package of measures will be tried out in 30 areas to test the
impact of the initiatives.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said the challenge now "is to increase
public confidence".
The document also suggests giving members of the public a say in how
assets seized from criminals are used.
A scheme for "citizen panels" - which will choose the type of work
offenders who have been given community penalties should carry out - is
to be rolled out across the country.
“ People must have more influence in how justice is delivered in their
villages, towns and cities ”
Jack Straw, Justice Secretary
The areas identified for the initiatives cover Greater London,
Merseyside, South Wales, Leicestershire, Cheshire, South Yorkshire,
Staffordshire, Lancashire, West Midlands, Cleveland, Humberside,
Nottingham, and Greater Manchester.
They include plans for community impact statements, which will give
communities the chance to feed in their views on crimes in their area
and the impact the crimes have had on local people.
And virtual community justice teams are to be established, with the
intention of applying a more intensive problem-solving approach to anti-
social and criminal behaviour.
Mr Straw said he wanted people to have full confidence in the justice
system.
"An important part of this is ensuring that justice is done and seen to
be done," he said.
"The package we are announcing represents a fundamental shift towards
giving communities more of a say in the justice system.
"People must have more influence in how justice is delivered in their
villages, towns and cities - and that is exactly what [this] Green Paper
sets out to achieve."
'Understand and trust'
The move to give prosecutors a bigger role in communities is based on an
American idea.
From this summer, local crime concerns could be taken into account in
decisions over whether to charge suspected offenders.
The government also wants people to have more information about
convictions and sentencing, and plans to publicise these details on a
website.
But plans for the home delivery of leaflets publicising the outcomes of
trials, have been dropped from the document.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "If people understand and trust the
criminal justice system and see it as a public service, they will be
able to get on with their lives without fear of crime, secure in the
knowledge that there are tough consequences for those who break the
rules.
"This document provides an opportunity for the people to have a say on a
crucial system which has their needs at its heart."
Community engagement
The Attorney General, Baroness Scotland QC, oversees the Crown
Prosecution Service (CPS), which is responsible for deciding the charge
and taking to court the majority of criminal cases in England and Wales.
She said: "Prosecutors are increasingly engaged with the people they
serve, routinely engaging with victims and witnesses in person, and
explaining decisions to communities and the wider public.
"The community prosecutor approach will enable the CPS to be more
visible to, and better understood by, their local communities.
Government crime adviser Louise Casey has said that improved
communication about prosecutions will build public trust in the criminal
justice system.
Last year, Ms Casey suggested that police failed to tell the public
about successes, which perpetuated "myths" about crime.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.
Published: 2009/04/29 12:10:34 GMT
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