Criminal Justice Inspectorate Report

Today we welcome a report published by the Criminal Justice Inspectorate into the treatment of victims and witnesses in our Criminal Justice System.

While there have been improvements in the way the criminal justice system treats victims and witnesses, Victim Support NI maintains that work must be "continuous" and based on actual experiences of the system. Chief Executive Susan Reid said:

"Victim Support encouraged people we had supported to give their feedback to the Inspectors because, despite the raft of policy developments in recent years putting the needs of victims and witnesses in the spotlight, policies don't always turn into the practice people experience day-to-day.

"Our experience would support the personal accounts from victims and witnesses who spoke of ‘delays', poor communication and updating on case progression, a lack of co-ordination between the agencies and a general lack of support as people progress through the justice system.

"We understand that the primary duty of the Criminal Justice System is to bring offenders to justice, but to do that they need to encourage more victims and witnesses to report crimes, to attend court and to give their best evidence."

The report urges justice organisations in Northern Ireland to make an extra effort to be responsive, engage with and deal with the issues raised by victims and their families as they undertake their work.

"We welcome the six strategic recommendations made in the report, including the establishment of Witness Care Units (WCUs) like those already working in England and Wales, and the overall emphasis on moving to a service rather than a system" said Ms Reid.

"It is important for victims and witnesses to feel the Criminal Justice System supports them. In addition to the recommendations published today we would call for each criminal justice agency to continuously monitor and collate real experiences, integrate this feedback into their key performance measures and work to constantly improve the experience of victims and witnesses."

Victim Support NI also believes that there is a need for consistent information and support services as people travel through the justice system.

"We hear too often that victims and witnesses are left in the dark, they don't understand the process and they don't feel included. These are people who are engaging in the system to help make our society safer for everyone, they should not feel the need to research the legal system in order to understand the very complex process they are involved in. Victims and witnesses should be assisted to understand the decision making processes as they journey through the system.

"Improving the experience of victims and witnesses is not a side issue, or one off project; it's not even a four year plan. We would call on all the agencies involved to make the experience of victims and witnesses their core business."

The full report can be viewed here on the CJI website.

Date Posted: 07 Dec 2011