News, Events & Press Releases
See also our 'Publications' page
August 2009
New Chair for Criminal Justice Board
Annette Hennessy, Chief Officer of Cumbria Probation Service, has taken over as the new Chair of Cumbria Criminal Justice Board. This follows the departure of previous Board Chair, Claire Lindley, who has moved on to become Chief Crown Prosecutor for Staffordshire.
Annette is based at the Cumbria Probation Service head office in Wetheral and has recently been responsible for overseeing Cumbria obtaining Trust Status, a key development in improving the delivery of probation services locally.
June 2009
Inside Justice Week 2009 website goes live!
This year's national Inside Justice Week takes place between 17th and 24th October. The annual initiative focuses on making the criminal justice system more accessible to the public, both in terms of improving knowledge and understanding of how it works and also encouraging people to literally see inside some of the places that are involved, such as court buildings.
Details of local activities in support of this initiative will appear on this website in due course, but you can find out more about Inside Justice Week 2009 already on the official website www.insidejustice.cjsonline.gov.uk .
April 2009
Green Paper Consultation: Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice
A series of new measures to give communities more say in the way justice is done in their area has been announced by ministers. The plans include creating 30 pioneer areas across England and Wales where the new justice initiatives will be tested.
The new initiatives form part of the recently published 'Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice' Green Paper, which proposes a range of measures to ensure a more effective criminal justice service.
The Government encourages and welcomes comments on the proposals in the Green Paper and seek the views of the public and the very many dedicated professionals and volunteers who work in and with criminal justice organisations.
For more details visit http://consultations.cjsonline.gov.uk/.
The consultation will run until Friday 31 July 2009.
March 2009
Scafell Project wins prestigious Butler Trust Award
The Scafell Project, which manages prolific offenders within the community, has received the prestigious national Butler Trust Award for its impressive performance and outstanding commitment to protecting the people of Cumbria.
Scafell Project Manager, Chris Davidson, and three other members of the team, travelled to Buckingham Palace in London where they were handed the Award by the Princess Royal on Wednesday, 18th March.
Photo: The Princess Royal presents the Award to Chris Davidson (centre) and Gill Wood (left) from the Scafell Project
Set up in April 2007 and run by representatives from Cumbria Probation Service and Cumbria Constabulary, the Scafell Project has previously been recognised by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, as adopting an innovative and creative approach to the supervision and support provided to some of the most prolific offenders in Cumbria. To date, the project has reduced re-offending by prolific and priority offenders by 81 per cent.
Chris Davidson said:
“It was a special day for the team as it recognised that we are working well together with such determination that is making a real impact on the levels of crime in Cumbria.”
Chief Inspector Steve Halliday of Cumbria Constabulary added:
"The project offers an innovative and creative approach to partnership working and has been making a real difference to local communities. The probation and police service teams have focussed on challenging the most prolific offenders in Cumbria and work hard to assess their risks, challenge their behaviour and attitudes and divert them away from a life of crime.”