2007 Annual Conference
The Dorset Criminal Justice Board held their annual conference on Tuesday 13 February 2007 at the RNLI Lifeboat College, Poole. The conference, entitled People Focused Justice, showcased four excellent and innovative projects taking place within Dorset's Criminal Justice System.
Rod Brummitt, Chair of the Dorset Criminal Justice Board, said: "Our Annual Conference is a great opportunity for us to show some of the excellent initiatives that take place in Dorset's Criminal Justice System."
The audience for the day was made up of the Board's consultation group members, as well as other CJS agency partners and staff. The conference ran from 10am until 4pm and included an open forum session where Board members answered questions from the audience.
The first presentation of the conference was by Sgt Nikki Billington, Elaine Ryan and PC Geoff Calloway from the Dorset Police initiative Project Blitz. The aim of Project Blitz is to educate young people in West Dorset to the dangers of alcohol and crack down on problem drinking in Weymouth and Portland. The Project Blitz team have devised a four strand approach to tackle a range of issues around alcohol abuse which engages young people (13-14 years old), young adults (16-24 year olds), parents of young people and licensed retailers.
Elaine Ryan and PC Geoff Calloway from Project Blitz during their interactive presentation
The second presentation of the Dorset Criminal Justice Board's People Focused Justice conference was on Conditional Cautioning and was presented by Dorset Police's Sgt Danny Thompson and Richard Oakley from Dorset CPS. Conditional Cautioning is a new measure introduced in Dorset in January 2007 which gives the CPS and Dorset Police the opportunity to issue cautions to offenders with conditions attached. Conditional Cautioning can provide swift justice for the victim without having to go through the court process. Conditions include paying compensation and writing a letter of apology to the victim.
Sgt Danny Thompson explaining the benefits of Conditional Cautioning
After lunch Alan Yelling and Claire Watts from Dorset Probation Service gave an interactive presentation on the new Drink Impaired Drivers Accredited Programme. This Programme was introduced in Dorset in November 2006, and aims to educate and rehabilitate drink-drive offenders. It is the first Programme of its kind to be privately sponsored: Blandford- based brewer Hall & Woodhouse sponsor the scheme.
Claire Watts explains the dangers of driving after drinking any quantity of alcohol
The final presentation of the conference was on Prison and Community Threshold Dialogue, and was presented by project co- ordinator Vince Miller, Senior Prison Officer Steve Patterson, Joanne Mason, Head of Reducing Re-offending at Dorchester Prison and ex-offender and Prison and Community Threshold Dialogue participant Adrian Williams. The scheme helps to prepare offenders for release into the community and provides an opportunity for offenders and criminal justice system staff to discuss key issues.
The Prison and Community Threshold Dialogue presenters (from left to right):
Steve Patterson, Adrian Williams, Joanne Mason and Vince Miller