Inside Justice Week 2008
Behind the scenes of the Criminal Justice System
RESIDENTS had the chance to get a unique glimpse into the Criminal Justice System (CJS) during this year’s Inside Justice Week.
Inside Justice Week is a major campaign that aims to open up the CJS to the public through a week of co-ordinated events and media activity across England and Wales.
This year, it took place between 18-25 October.
It sought to explain how the system works and show the people involved in delivering justice today.
The theme for this year's campaign was ‘Justice For All’, in support of the Public Service Agreement to deliver a more effective, transparent and responsive CJS for victims and the public.
Activities in Wiltshire and Swindon were co-ordinated by the Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board (WCJB).
The WCJB, in partnership with criminal justice agencies and partner organisations across Wiltshire and Swindon, staged a number of events to encourage people to get involved in local justice.
The events also sought to inform CJS staff about the work of individual agencies.
Highlights included an Inside Youth Justice event in Melksham, which was organised by the Wiltshire Youth Offending Service (YOS).
This event for practitioners celebrated the work of Wiltshire YOS, and enabled partners and stakeholders to understand its work and achievements.
Wiltshire County Council Chief Executive Keith Robinson, who attended the event, said: “The Youth Justice Service is one of our stars.
“It performs very well: there are lots of real examples of how it has helped young people who are at risk of falling into the vicious circle of offending and re-offending.”
There was also a Judge For Yourself Community Sentences open morning for the public at the offices of Glennie McIntosh in Chippenham, as well as a community engagement conference for criminal justice agency staff in Devizes
The conference reminded agency representatives of the importance of community engagement to the CJS.
New College in Swindon was the venue for two events: on Monday there were WCJB and Victim Support information points for students to visit, while on Wednesday there was a multi criminal justice agency stand for the teenagers to discuss the criminal justice process with frontline staff.
There was a mock trial at Greendown Community School in Swindon while the Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Offending Teams launched their latest short film which challenges the perceptions and attitudes of young people in relation to anti-social and criminal behaviour.
There were two events for Inside Justice Week at Erlestoke Prison.
Staff opened the prison’s new visitors’ centre for the day while a charity football match between prison and Wiltshire Probation staff took place in aid of Victim Support.
The result was a 2-2 draw.
Erlestoke Prison governor Andy Rogers, who presented the trophy, said: "Inside Justice Week is an important week of celebration for the criminal justice community and for raising the profile of the entire system and organisations such as Victim Support.
“Erlestoke was proud to host this special event and we look forward to the re-match.
“More importantly, we look forward to an ever closer working relationship with our colleagues in Probation as, together, we really can work well to make Wiltshire a safer place.”
WCJB Chair Diana Fulbrook said: “I am delighted at the result and the strong performance by Wiltshire Probation Area.
“Thank you to everyone who took part and made the game possible. The ‘Erlestoke Cup’ will be held with pride and will be a reminder that with good team work, we can do anything we want to achieve.”
The WCJB would like to thank everyone involved who made this week a success!
For photos from the week's events, click here.