Cardiff given more say in justice

The 30 pioneer areas will pilot a package of measures,
including:

* The introduction of Community Prosecutors with a specific role to
engage with communities alongside the police, courts and others and
ensure that local priorities inform casework decision making and local
CPS priorities;

* Community Impact Statements which will give communities the chance to
feed in their views on crimes in their area and the impact they have on
local people. The statements, which are normally collated by the
police, will be used by all facets of the criminal justice system such
prosecution, probation and courts

* Extending the use of Citizens’ Panels to give local people more say
in how offenders on Community Payback schemes repay the community for
their crimes through tough projects

* Establishing “Virtual Community Justice Teams” to apply a more
intensive problem-solving approach to anti-social and criminal
behaviour. This will tackle re-offending by identifying and offering
tailored rehabilitation, such as drug assistance programmes.

Over and above this, the Government will be consulting on a number of
other key initiatives. These include:

* Establishing a new Adult Restorative Justice Strategy. Restorative
Justice has been used effectively by police to confront young offenders
with the consequences of their actions, ensure they are able to make
amends to their victims and help them to develop a sense of personal
responsibility. The initiative has delivered excellent time and costs
savings to the police and court system.

* Adopting Commuinity Justice problem-solving techniques in all
magistrates’ courts. This seeks to address issues at the root of
certain types of offending – such as drug abuse – and so tackle the
cycle of re-offending by giving magistrates the tools and techniques
needed to put in place a specialist approach to rehabilitating such
offenders;

* Involving communities more fully in the selection and deployment of
District Judges (Magistrates Courts) by working with the Judicial
Appointments Commission to lift the veil on how judges are selected and
provide more transparency to the public. We also plan to increase the
representation of magistrates from a wider range of backgrounds by
working with employers and looking at the ways to make it easier for
people in full time employment to be magistrates;

* Creating a system of “hallmarks” for magistrates’ courts entitled
“Justice in the Community” – Re-positioning magistrates’ courts to
reinforce their purpose in delivering justice for and within local
communities.

* Increasing volunteering in Criminal Justice Services through
increased promotion of opportunities through the Local Criminal Justice
Boards.

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