Community Justice
Community Justice is key objective of the Office of Criminal Justice Reform’s (OCJR) Criminal Justice System Strategic Plan – Working Together to Cut Crime and Deliver Justice, a Strategic Plan for Criminal Justice 2008-2011.
The plan was published in November 2007 by the Home Secretary, Secretary of State for Justice and the Attorney General who are jointly responsible for criminal justice. It sets out how the criminal justice agencies – police, prosecution, courts, probation, prisons and youth offending services – will work together to respond more effectively to crime, bring more offences to justice and help tackle crime and reduce re-offending.
The purpose of the Plan is to deliver a fair and effective criminal justice service that puts the victims of crime and law abiding citizens first. The plan details its aims as:
-Bringing offenders to justice
-Working with local communities
-Victims and Witnesses – ensuring high standards of service
-Simpler, faster more effective service
-Empowering the frontline to respond to the needs of their local communities
Community Justice also forms part of the Government’s agenda to tackle anti-social behaviour and the crime associated with it. Community Justice is intended to bring the justice system and the community together; solving problems, reducing crime and building confidence. The first Community Justice pilots - the Community Justice Centre, Northern Liverpool and the Salford Community Justice Initiative, have been up and running since Autumn 2005. Since then Community Justice pilots have been set up in 11 other areas across England and Wales.