Care of Victims and Witnesses

No Witness, No Justice.

If you have been involved in a court case in the last few years you may know how frustrating it is to have to wait around at the court only to find that the hearing does not take place. One of the main reasons that trials have to be adjourned to a later date is because witnesses fail to turn up at court.

In order to tackle this problem Lincolnshire, as part of a new Government led scheme, launched the “No Witness, No Justice’ project.

Putting victims and witnesses first, ‘No Witness No Justice’ aims to increase their confidence by giving them support, encouraging them to come to court.

The first Unit under this scheme in Lincolnshire opened its doors in February 2005.

It brings together Lincolnshire Police, The Crown Prosecution Service, The National Probation Service and Victim Support. It provides practical help and moral support to victims and witnesses including:

  • a single point of contact for witnesses
  • an initial needs assessment to identify specific support requirements such as childcare, transport, language difficulties and medical issues
  • the option to discuss any areas of concern, such as intimidation and fear of reprisals
  • witness care officers to guide people through the criminal justice process and to co-ordinate the above services and support
  •  a continuous review of victim and witness needs throughout the case by the Care Unit staff
  • greater communication and contact with witnesses about cases, including the case outcome or trial result

The project saves taxpayers money by reducing the amount of time wasted when police, prosecutors and counsel attend ineffective trial hearings and by reducing the extra administration costs associated with having to reschedule hearings. It also frees up the time currently spent by front line officers in following up witnesses who fail to attend court and it makes more effective use of the court’s time.

Chairing the project, Alison Kerr, Chief Crown Prosecutor said; “We have representatives from all of the local criminal justice agencies on the working party. The Lincolnshire Criminal Justice Board is overseeing the initiative and this is very much a collaborative approach to improving our service to victims and witnesses of crime." 

High quality advice to ALL court users

The East Midlands Legal Services Commission is working with Her Majesty's Courts Service to raise awareness of sources of high quality advice to help people deal with their problems.

Many court users - whether defendants, victims, witnesses or their friends and family - may be facing one or several problems. This could include being threatened with eviction from their home, struggling with debt, dealing with family breakdown or possible unemployment.

The Legal Services Commission is responsible for the Community Legal Service, a network of organisations which can provide legal help, advice and, if necessary, representation in court.

Anyone can access basic advice through Community Legal Service Direct by phoning 0845 345 4 345 or by visiting www.clsdirect.org.uk

Witness Care Units in Lincoln and Grantham

Up to 15% of court trials fail to go ahead because the witness for the prosecution does not appear on the day! This means that the court cannot secure a conviction and the defendant is free to leave.

There are many reasons why witnesses fail to turn up, ranging from lack of time, transport or childcare to anxiety about the court process and fear of reprisal.

To address these issues, a Witness Care Unit was opened in Lincoln in March 2005. Staffed by a team of ten; a unit manager, eight witness care officers from Lincolnshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service and one member of Victim Support, the unit provides practical help and emotional support to recent victims and witnesses of crime, whose case is due to be heard in a Lincolnshire Court.

The victim or witness are assigned a dedicated witness care officer for the duration of the case and afterwards. There is one single member of staff to encourage, support and keep the person informed. Any concerns the person may have are recorded in a “Victim personal statement” and help such as transport, childcare, a court familiarisation visit and the facility to give evidence remotely will be arranged.

If, for any reason - such as insufficient evidence against the defendant - the case does proceed, the Victim Information Bureau writes to the victim explaining exactly why the case has been dropped.

The intention behind all of this is to reassure law-abiding citizens that the criminal justice system is on their side, so that they will be more confident about seeing a case through to a conclusion and less disappointed if they are informed why it cannot proceed.

Further to this, a second Witness Care Unit has been opened in Grantham.  

Support to victims of violent or sexual offences

 Anyone who is the victim of a violent or sexual offence, for which the offender is sentenced to twelve months or more in prison, has a statutory right to be kept informed about the offender’s sentence.

The National Probation Service Lincolnshire has a team of Victim Contact Officers solely dedicated to this area of work. Their support is also offered to victims of hate crime, motivated by discrimination against race, religion or sexuality.

Within eight weeks of the offender being sentenced, the Victim Contact Team writes to explain its role and arrange a home visit. At this meeting the victim is given the opportunity to explain the impact the offence has had on them. They can also request licence conditions to protect themselves from further victimisation, once the offender is released.

The contact officer will give basic information about the offender’s sentence:

e.g. the general location of the prison and approximate date of release.

Information about additional services and support is made available, such as how to make an application to be re-housed.

The victim contact officers work closely with other agencies including specialist officers within Lincolnshire Police, Social Services, Victim Support and voluntary organisations such as Rape Crisis.

People who have used the service have made the following comments:

‘When I heard that the conditions I had requested were on his licence conditions I knew I had been listened to.’

‘I was reassured to know that he couldn’t contact me or my family whilst he was out on licence and knowing that he couldn’t come near my house or place of work made it easier to cope with his release.’

Contact person: Sally Lewis, T: 01522 520 076, Email: sally.lewis@lincolnshire.probation.gsx.gov.uk

Improvements to the Witness waiting rooms in Lincoln and Gainsborough

Lincolnshire Criminal Justice Board was one of only seven areas to be successful in a bid for special funds. Just over £8,000 were awarded to refurbish witness waiting rooms and this money has been spent on new chairs – including some high-backed chairs for the less mobile – coffee tables, wall-mounted TVs and video players, cupboards, water jugs and glasses, notice boards and pictures, everlasting floral decorations and books and games.

Rachel Mowbray, Court Administration Manager for Lincoln and Gainsborough led the successful bid and said; “Waiting to give evidence can be tedious and stressful, so we are doing everything possible to make the experience more comfortable. With our latest purchases we have tried to provide something for people of all ages and we have also improved the Video-Link rooms where vulnerable witnesses give evidence remotely. We were very happy to win this special funding and wanted to use it to deliver a visible and tangible improvement in our facilities for the public.”

Mike Stephens, Chief Executive Officer of Victim Support, Lincolnshire said; “We welcome the benefits of the No Witness, No Justice project – victims and witnesses will now receive the care and respect they deserve.”

Organisations: Lincolnshire Police, The Crown Prosecution Service, The National Probation Service and Victim Support

Come to court if you have witnessed a crime!

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