Latest news
‘You Be the Judge’ interactive website launch
March 10, 2010
Justice Minister Claire Ward launched a new interactive website, ‘You Be the Judge’ at Hendon Magistrates’ Court today. Law students and the local community were invited to play the part of judge and jury and decide an offender’s fate in a ‘You Be the Judge’ event. The website is to help the public understand that sentencing is not just an arbitrary decision but a difficult and complex process based on many factors. Visit the website here or Find out more.
Virtual Courts reaches 1,000 cases milestone
February 5, 2010
A man arrested as part of an anti-drugs operation yesterday (February 4th) became the 1,000th person to have their first hearing through the Virtual Court. The defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced on the day to a £575 fine. This is a significant milestone for the Virtual Court project which reflects the hard work of all partners involved. 165 cases went through the Virtual Court last week demonstrating a strong performance with 90% of the available slots being filled. Find out more.
Initiative achieves a 31% increase in offender compliance
January 27, 2010
Latest evidence from the ‘Supported Compliance’ initiative, which aims to inform offenders about the importance of complying with their community sentences, shows 85% of offenders who had face to face contact and support from Diamond and Safer Neighbourhood teams are complying with their community orders, compared to 65% of compliance in a comparative sample area. Find out more here.
Good practice in community engagement
January 27, 2010
Stronger participation from the communities we serve is crucial if we are to increase their confidence in the criminal justice service (CJS). Effective community engagement helps to raise confidence and build safer, stronger communities. Practitioners may be interested in a report that outlines the lessons learnt from a community event in Ealing. It highlights best practice as well the difficulties in organising the event. Read more or download the full report.
London CJS staff recognised in the Queen's New Year honours list
January 7, 2010
London Criminal Justice Service (CJS) staff and members of the Judiciary have been recognised in the Queen’s new year honours list. Honours were given to 20 people from right across the London CJS for a variety of work. The list included members of the public, a QC circuit judge and police officers. Find out more here.
London CJB changes name to the London Criminal Justice Partnership
January 4, 2010
The London Criminal Justice Board today becomes the London Criminal Justice Partnership in recognition of its wider remit and the many agencies now working together through the organisation to make the capital safer. Find out more here.
New programme launched to cut youth crime
November 5, 2009
A pioneering project dedicated to making London safer by helping young offenders turn their backs on crime was launched today by Justice Secretary Jack Straw and the Mayor of London Boris Johnson. The Heron Unit is the UK's first dedicated resettlement unit for 15 - 17 year olds who have demonstrated a commitment to changing their criminal pasts. Find out more here.
Raising standards of services for witnesses
October 28, 2009
The Witness Charter, which provides a commitment from the Criminal Justice System (CJS) to offer a minimum standard of service to witnesses, is being rolled out in a four stage process across the capital by the London Criminal Justice Board (CJB). Find out more here.
London criminal justice staff triumph at the national Justice Awards
October 20, 2009
Frontline staff and senior justice officials across London have triumphed at the 2009 Justice Awards with the highest number of winners in the country. Four out of five London finalists won top national awards for their work for the Criminal Justice System (CJS), and the fifth was highly commended. Almost 900 nominations were submitted across the country and the winners were presented with their award at a prestigious ceremony at Banqueting House in London on 20 October. Find out about the London winners here.
‘Choices, consequences and the courts’
Somali youth groups and local criminal justice agency event - 24 October
October 19, 2009
The former rapper, Mutah Beale, young people from the Somali community in Ealing and Southall, magistrates and justice agencies are joining forces to debate the consequences of local crime in a ground breaking event on the 24 October at the Dominion, Southall. Previously known as Napoleon when he was part of Tupac Shakur’s rap group Outlawz, Mutah Beale reverted to Islam and now preaches a message of peace. He will be speaking about the hip hop lifestyle and some of the dangers that surround it as well as crime, drugs and gangs - and other choices young people can make. Find out more here.
Projects nominated by the public secure criminals' cash
October 15, 2009
Four publicly nominated projects in London are celebrating their success in securing a share of the £95,000 funding allocated from the ill gotten gains of criminals. The £4 million Community Cashback scheme is where ‘cashback’ from criminals’ seized assets, such as confiscated cash or property, has been earmarked to fund worthwhile community projects. In London 195 projects were nominated and more than 3,100 votes were received from members of the public on which projects they would like to see funded. Find out more here.
Take a look ‘inside justice’
October 13, 2009
Londoners have the opportunity to take a first hand look into the world of criminal justice as part of Inside Justice Week, which runs from October 17th to 24th. A host of events will be taking place across London, giving members of the public the chance to find out exactly how justice is delivered. Activities include police station visits, court open days and school children taking part in mock trials to see each stage of the criminal justice process from when a crime is reported right through to the trial and sentencing. Find out more here.
Mental health conference raises awareness among London criminal justice staff
September 28, 2009
More than 200 criminal justice service (CJS) staff attended a conference, which raised awareness of mental health issues focusing on offenders and victims, to help improve the way in which criminal justice agencies manage cases involving people with mental health issues. Delegates heard from Third Sector providers Mind and Together and an interactive session held by the Geese Theatre Company. Find out more here.
‘Young Victims - the cost of crime’ film now available
September 28, 2009
A new film ‘Young Victims – the cost of crime’ has been launched, which tells the story of three young people who have been victims of crime, the effect it has had on them and the support they received to overcome the distressing experience. To accompany the film, workshop guidance is available to support practitioners and teachers. Find out more here.
Five London finalists in the 2009 Justice Awards
September 28, 2009
The list of finalists for the 2009 Justice Awards are now available and can be viewed on the Justice Awards website. Five London finalists have reached the final three in their categories. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony held in London on Tuesday 20 October. Find out more here.
Criminal justice experience course is ‘an inspiration to young people'
September 28, 2009
Young people at risk of offending in London are being ‘inspired’ to take control of their lives after taking part in a new ‘Criminal Justice System Experience’ course pioneered by the Westminster Borough Criminal Justice Group. The course has a multi-agency approach which allows young people to hear first hand about the roles and experiences of CJS agencies.
London confidence strategy agreed by board
September 11, 2009
Local Implementation Teams (LITs) are to be set up in London’s 10 pathfinder areas as part of a new strategy to drive up confidence in the capital’s criminal justice service (CJS). The strategy, now agreed by the Board, will continue to focus on local joined up engagement activity as the key route to build confidence in the service, but also test new Government measures. Find out more here.
Decide how criminals’ cash is spent
September 7, 2009
London can now have their say in how criminals’ cash is spent by voting online at www.cjsonline.gov.uk/Londoncashback from a list of projects. Nearly two hundred projects were nominated, giving people a direct say in how criminals’ ill-gotten gains can be used to benefit their communities in the fight against crime. Find out more here.
Improving victims and witness satisfaction
September 7, 2009
80% of victims and witnesses in London said they were satisfied with their overall contact with the Criminal Justice System (CJS), according to the latest results from the Witness and Victim Experience Survey (WAVES). Borough level performance information from WAVES is now available for the first time and is published in the local performance snapshots. Find out more here.
Delivering faster court results to the Police National Computer
August 14, 2009
Bichard 7, a solution that takes court results entered onto court case management systems and automatically updates the Police National Computer (PNC), has been switched on in magistrates’ courts in North West London and the City of London. Bichard 7 will change the current way of working, making the resulting process faster, more accurate and more joined-up. Find out more here.
Recognising the unsung heroes of London
August 14, 2009
The short listing of nominations for the 2009 Justice Awards, which recognise and celebrate the dedication and achievements of staff and volunteers in improving the Criminal Justice System (CJS), is now underway. London received a total of 35 entries with nominations for a wide range of organisations and individuals. In London the voluntary sector received the highest number of entries with the police following a close second. Find out more here.
Ensuring offenders comply with community sentences
July 30, 2009
The London CJB has launched an initiative called ‘Supported Compliance’ to ensure offenders sentenced to community and suspended sentence orders comply with their requirements. The three month pilot across the six Diamond boroughs – Newham, Lewisham, Lambeth, Hackney, Croydon and Southwark – aims to inform offenders about the importance of complying with their court order and the consequences if they fail to do so. Find out more here.
Communities set to benefit from cashback from criminals
July 6, 2009
Communities in London could benefit from ‘cashback’ from criminals as millions of pounds in seized assets are to be spent on worthwhile projects nominated by members of the public. The London Criminal Justice Board (CJB) has been allocated a total of £95,000 to award a number of community projects that relate to reducing crime and anti-social behaviour. For more information, read our briefing note and application guidance.
New protocol delivers a consistent approach to warrant withdrawals
June 6, 2009
The London CJB has launched the ‘Warrant Withdrawal’ protocol, which delivers a consistent approach to managing applications to withdraw Fail to Appear (FTA) warrants in magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court. The new protocol ensures that the practice of applying to withdraw warrants is made and considered in an effective and consistent way across London.
Witness Charter - raising standards of service for witnesses
June 16, 2009
The Witness Charter, which provides a commitment from the Criminal Justice System to offer a minimum standard of service to all non-expert witnesses, will be rolled out across the capital by the London Criminal Justice Board (CJB).
Community penalty 'resolution' initiative and guide launched
June 15, 2009
London CJB has launched a new initiative to ensure good practice in ensuring community penalties are carried out and breaches resolved effectively. This initiative has the support of Chief Officers. Entitled 'Resolution', the initiative lays out the roles and responsibilities of the agencies involved in the community penalty process – right through from arrest to resolution. Read more about the 'resolution' initiative here. A one page summary of the initiative is available on our website here. A detailed practice guide for frontline staff to use can also be downloaded via this link.
London CJB Business Plan 2009-2010 now available
June 9, 2009
Our 2009-2010 Business Plan is now available to download from our website via the link below. The ambitious work programme outlines a dual approach to responding to the needs of Londoners by both preventing crime and improving the criminal justice service response to it. Read more about the Business Plan here. Download the Business Plan here.
Triage to help prevent youth offending
June 2, 2009
A new priority scheme, developed by the London Criminal Justice Board and the YJB, has seen good progress in both its pilots, Lewisham and Greenwich. Triage, aims to prevent young people from re-offending and slipping deeper into the criminal justice system by assessing them much earlier than before.
Virtual Courts deliver swifter justice
June 2, 2009
Live cases are now being heard at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court via a live link to Charing Cross Police Station as part of the London CJB Virtual Courts initiative. The year long pilot is in a live testing phase and uses video conferencing technology to link police stations to magistrates’ courts for first hearings. Justice Secretary Jack Straw praised the initiative when he visited Camberwell Green recently.
Submit your community engagement plans and apply for funding before July 31, 2009
May 15, 2009
The London Criminal Justice Board (CJB) is asking all Local Criminal Justice Groups (LCJGs) to submit their community engagement plan along with their funding bid by July 31, 2009. New funding of £2,500 is available to each area (LCJG and bench combined) to support local, joined-up community engagement activities.
Justice Awards - nominate your unsung heroes for their exceptional work
May 14, 2009
Do you know a team or individual who has gone that extra mile in their work? If so, why not show your appreciation and nominate them in the 2009 Justice Awards. Nominations are now open. Any team or individual, working or volunteering in the CJS can be nominated. Read more or visit the Justice Awards website.
Myth busting community engagement film launched
May 1, 2009
A new film using animation, voice over and interviews provides a dynamic, engaging and entertaining journey through London’s criminal justice service. A booklet accompanying the film has also been produced. View the film and download the booklet.
New process to cut paperwork 'could save 28,000 days in police time'
May 1, 2009
Initial findings show a new process for streamlining the production of case papers by police officers for prosecutors could save around 28,000 days of police time per year – the equivalent of 138 more full time police officers on the streets of London.
Views sought on engaging communities Green Paper
April 29, 2009
A series of new measures has been announced by ministers as part of the Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice Green Paper, which aims to give communities more say in the way justice is delivered in their neighbourhoods. The Government is seeking comments on the ideas proposed in the paper. Read more or view the Green Paper and make a comment on the proposals.
Ensuring the timely ‘recall’ of offenders to prison in London
April 23, 2009
To ensure the timely recall of offenders who have breached the conditions of their licence a new practice guide and a desk note has been produced for frontline police and probation officers.
New measures to make London safer for young people
April 1, 2009
New measures to prevent youth crime and improve the safety of young people were unveiled in the Safer Young London report last week at the House of Commons, including a heavy focus on the London CJB's Making Youth Justice Work Better strategy. For more information, read the briefing note.
Tagged Magistrate features in new training DVD
Feb 18, 2009
A London Magistrate who agreed to be tagged for a week features in a new training DVD outlining the implications of tagging as a sentencing option. The DVD, available from today, aims to give probation court report writers, youth offending teams and magistrates a better insight into the effect that tagging can have on a person’s everyday life. Read more and view the video.