Be a Volunteer
Do yourself justice - volunteer!
Get involved and volunteer in the Criminal Justice System
If you would like to do something different with your spare time that can make a difference to your local community then there are plenty of volunteering opportunities in the Criminal Justice System.
There are a huge range of positions such as Magistrates, supporting victims of crime, Special Constables and mentoring offenders.
Volunteers are a vital part of the system in Hertfordshire so if you would like to find out more then please read on.
Herts Constabulary
Her Majesty's Courts Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Victims and Witness Support
Herts Appropriate Adult Scheme
Herts Probation Area
Voluntary Youth Service
In Your Neighbourhood
Independent Custody Visitor
Hertfordshire Constabulary
One of the ways volunteers can join Hertfordshire Constable is as a Special Constable. Specials are required to give 16 hours a month to policing and carry out a variety of tasks, including crime prevention, high visibility policing in local neighborhoods’, taking part in arrest operations along with regular officers and liaising with the general public, victims and witnesses. Volunteers can also join the Constabulary in a non-operational role by helping to staff the community contact points or as a Neighbourhood Watch Co-Ordinator.
The Constabulary value the work of all of volunteers in helping to deter potential offenders and reassuring local communities. The extended Constabulary family makes a huge contribution in supporting regular officers and encourage more people to join up and play their part in fighting crime and the fear of crime." For more information contact Herts Constabulary
Her Majesty's Court Service
Magistrates are recruited from the local community and are required to be available for a minimum of 26 half days a year and for full day sittings. The Magistrates' Courts deal with more than 95% of all criminal cases which are heard at courts. The role is a voluntary one and many employers allow staff time off with pay to sit as a Magistrate. If, however, there is a loss of earnings, an allowance is available. Travel and subsistence can also be claimed. No legal training is necessary. There is a programme of practical training, much of which takes place outside working hours. Magistrates sit on a Bench of three and there is always a qualified legal adviser in court to guide on law and procedure. To find out more information please view The Magistrates' Association website.
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Local communities are always being encouraged to get involved with local prisons and work with prisoners to give them a more positive outlook on life. Each prison has an Independent Monitoring Board appointed by the Home Secretary, which ensures an independent view on the running of a prison.
Independent Monitoring Boards perform a vital watchdog role on behalf of Ministers and the general public, in providing lay and independent oversight of prisons and immigration removal centre’s. Over 1800 unpaid volunteers within more than 150 establishments across the country have an increasingly valuable and important role to play in ensuring that people held in custody are being cared for decently and with humanity. Please visit www.imb.gov.uk.
For more information about the whole range of opportunities available go to: www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/careersandjobs.
Victim Support and The Witness Service
Victim Support is a national charity helping victims of crime. Volunteers are crucial to their work and throughout the year there are many opportunities to get involved. Local volunteers are trained to give emotional support, information and practical help to people who have suffered the effects of all kinds of crime.
Going to court can also be a stressful experience for the witness to give evidence. Witness Service volunteers give emotional support and practical information to people attending court. The work includes offering witnesses a chance to visit the court before giving evidence, explaining court procedures and accompanying a victim or witness into the courtroom.
To find out more visit www.victimsupport.org.uk.
Hertfordshire Appropriate Adult Scheme
Hertfordshire Youth Justice Service is looking for volunteers with an interest in the criminal justice system to help young people who find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Those who are interested in helping young offenders take responsibility for their actions and change their behaviour can become an "Appropriate Adult" or a Youth Offender Panellist.
Volunteers are called on when a young person under the age of 17 is arrested by the police and a parent or carer is unable to attend.
The law requires an adult to be present during interviews and appropriate adults are called on to provide support and ensure the child is treated fairly.
Youth Offender Panels are run by local volunteers and deal with young first time offenders. They are designed to give communities a say in how young offenders can repair the harm they have done and positively help them not to offend further.
Each panel is made up of two volunteers and one member of the local Youth Offending Team and works with the young person and his or her family to draw up a programme aimed at tackling their behaviour.
“This is a great opportunity for people interested in the needs of young people to contribute to their community. Supporting young people can be highly rewarding and volunteering with Hertfordshire Youth Justice Service also allows you to find out more about the criminal justice system."
- Jane Pitman, Herts County Council
To find out more contact Jane Pitman, Hertfordshire County Council's Lead Member for Children’s Services.
Herts Probation Area
SOVA is a probation partnership who train members of the public to support and mentor offenders in the community. Volunteers support with basic skills, drug intervention, victim support and much more. The aims are rehabilitation of offenders.
All are welcome to apply subject to a CRB check. Five evenings of training are required to begin mentoring and many other training opportunities are available.
For further information contact Carol Hudson or Sharon Ahmad, Support Officers on 01727 867800 or visit the SOVA website.
Voluntary Youth Service
Pro-Action is a Youth Service in Hertfordshire and is supported by a number of volunteers making significant contributions. They have established excellent links with voluntary youth organisations within Hertfordshire, a variety of individual youth, sports, faith, drama, arts and uniformed clubs. They are committed to providing a service that supports and encourages these groups to grow and have been impressed with the Pro-Action District Co-ordinators who are active in ensuring this.
For adult volunteers they offer half day courses on First Aid, Child Protection, Behavioural Management and Activity and Event Ideas. They are also committed to hosting a range of competitions and events such as, Football, Boom! Midnight Ice Skating, Superteams and more.
If you are a voluntary youth organisation, an external agency or you are just interested in finding out more about Pro-Action please visit their website at www.pro-actionherts.org/
IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD
Neighbourhood Watch is one of the most successful crime prevention initiatives ever in the UK. It has been built on the simple principle of members of the public working hand-in-hand with the police to combat and reduce crime in the community. The police are paid professionals whose job it is to fight crime, but with your help, they can do an even better job.
Neighbourhood Watch schemes vary in size, perhaps covering a whole estate or just a few houses. No matter what the size, a scheme is generally led by a volunteer co-ordinator whose job is to get people working together and oversee actions to meet the aims of the scheme.
To find out about schemes in your area, or to get one started contact your local Hertswatch.
Independant Custody Visitor
An Independent Custody Visitor visits police stations to carry out checks on police cells and how people in custody are being treated. You would visit police stations in your local area on a weekly basis, with a colleague. The actual timing of visits would be at your own discretion, but is always random and unannounced.
As a volunteer you would be trained in all aspect of independent custody visiting. After each visit you would compile a report which is seen by the Deputy Area Commander and forwarded to the Police Authority who manage the ICV scheme.