CJSSS
CJSSS - Simple, Speedy, Summary Justice
The government publised Delivering Simple, Speedy, Summary Justice in July 2006 which set out plans to improve the speed and effectiveness of the Magistrates' Courts. The report followed cross CJS agency reviews which found that criminal cases were taking too long and too many hearings to reach a conclusion.
Based on the findings from 4 national pilot sites in Coventry, Camberwell, Thames and West Cumbria each of the other 42 Criminal Justice areas were asked to implement CJSSS for all adult cases in the Magistrates Court.
Here in Leicestershire and Rutland the Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) appointed Nick Watson, Director of Legal Services HM Courts Service as the CJSSS Project Senior Responsible Owner and Ian Stripp a seconded Police member of staff as Project Manager. A local CJSSS Project Implementation Group was formed. Made up of members of the Police, Crown Prosecution Service, HM Courts Service, Magistrates, District Judge, Probation, Victim Support, Legal Services Commission, Defence Solicitors and Office for Criminal Justice and Reform (OCJR) the implementation Group have been responsible for introducing CJSSS into all adult Magistrates Courts.
In Leicestershire, CJSSS was piloted at Hinckley Magistrates Court from August to December 2007. Basd on this success all Courts went live in December 2007 and have been working with the new streamline CJSSS process since then.
The local CJSSS Implementation Group have focussed upon the following improvement areas;
- Increased quality of evidence presentation and case file build
- Better information to defendants at the point of charge
- Production of Advanced Information to all parties 3 working days prior to the first hearing
- A more robust first hearing and all parties ready to make progress
- No pre-trial reviews and a reduction in unnecessary adjournments
- A more streamline approach to Legal Aid application process
- An increased use of fast delivery reports and opportunities to speed up information to help in sentencing
The development of our local CJSSS approach can be seen in our CJSSS newsletters below, you can see the issues we have tackled and the comments from those involved.
An important factor has been how we have built upon the good relationships of all local CJS practitioners to make CJSSS work. It has been a particular strength of the area and has allowed for a frank exchange of views especially in challenging ineffective CJS business process to seek improvements to the system.
Whats the future?
Apart from seeing Adult CJSSS bed into business as usual we are now seeking to introduce the CJSSS principles across all Youth Courts. The local CJSSS Implementation Team are working on this and we inted to 'go live' in all Youths Courts on Monday 6th October 2008. A recent workshop involved key practitioners and stakeholders. Held in June 2008 at Hinckley Magistrates Court in order to discuss ideas, it allowed for issues and solutions to be examined. All CJS agencies together with Defence Solicitors and the Legal Services Commission had their say in how to improve the business processes in the Youth Courts. We will now refine these ideas and remain committed to working in partnership to improve the local Criminal Justice System.
Leicestershire and Rutland Criminal Justice Board | Beaumont Leys Police Station | 1st Floor | 2 Beaumont Way | Leicester | LE4 1DS