Many victims not receiving best service from criminal justice system – report

The criminal justice system is not providing the highest quality service to many victims, and does not always invest the time and attention needed in cases, a new report has found.

A combination of competing demands, high workloads, poor communication and lack of experience were contributing to victims not always receiving the best service, a report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMI Probation) found.

Their joint investigation, Meeting the Needs of Victims in the Criminal Justice System, assessed whether the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Probation Service understand what victims need, if they meet those needs and if they provide a good service.

It said that rather than trying to meet the individual needs of victims, the police, CPS and Probation Service focused more on whether they were complying with the Victims’ Code.

In some cases, where victims’ rights had been met, the report said this was a “box-ticking” exercise with no evidence of the quality of the support.

Police officers and supervisors in interviews and focus groups told the inspectorates workloads were too high and there were not enough officers.

Officers also told of how the standard of investigation had suffered because of high demand.

And on some occasions, victims had been “asked to carry out their own inquiries when reporting crimes” such as asking neighbours whether there were witnesses to the incident or if they had CCTV evidence from home security cameras.

The inspectorates also heard about some positive practices, including victims’ hubs that provide tailored support to victims, and online portals to access information about cases.

Inspectors said these initiatives have the potential to improve the experience of all victims, but often they are developed in isolation at a local level.

The report made six recommendations:

• Commissioning a broader and fundamental review of the experience of victims of crime, involving other Government departments.
• Development of Victims’ Code performance metrics and reporting systems, including metrics on how criminal justice bodies engage with victims and the quality of the engagement.
• Development of minimum standards for the completion of victim needs assessments, including for timeliness of completion and clarity on the information to be recorded.
• Agreement of minimum standards and consistent processes for how witness care communicates with the police, CPS, and victims to help effective, agile and timely information-sharing.
• Ensuring all eligible victims are referred to the Victim Contact Scheme.
• Provision of training on the work of the Victim Contact Scheme to all probation practitioners.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, Wendy Williams (pictured), said: “Becoming a victim of crime is often a traumatic, as well as confusing and frustrating, experience.

“The criminal justice system should be able to support people in these situations, yet the findings in this report are depressingly familiar – once again victims are too often not getting the service they are entitled to.

“It is vital the whole of the criminal justice system works together to improve the service it offers to victims.

“If the recommendations in our report are implemented I am confident they will help to make sure that quality support for victims of crime is placed at the heart of the criminal justice system, where it belongs.”

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of the CPS, Andrew Cayley KC, said: “Victims of crime deserve a better service. We found that the police, CPS and the Probation Service all recognise the importance of victims and are committed to improving the service they deliver.

“However, heavy workloads, loss of experience, poor communication and lack of consistent support has all contributed to poor victim experiences. This is unacceptable, and together with my fellow chief inspectors, we are strongly urging the Government, police, CPS and probation service to come together and implement our recommendations as soon as possible.”

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation, Sue McAllister, said: “Improving services to victims of crime is crucial and this joint inspection has showed that there is much work to be done.

“We have found that, for those victims who were allocated a victim liaison officer, they benefited from having one person working with them to keep them informed. Although this applies to only a small number of victims, it helps victims to have their voice heard after the offender has been sentenced.”

A Government spokesperson said: “This Government is doing more than any other to improve the experiences of victims – including quadrupling funding for support services and improving training for staff who work with survivors.

“However, we recognise that there is more to do, which is why alongside our landmark Victims’ and Prisoners Bill, we will be working with criminal justice bodies on a Victims’ Code campaign in the new year to better inform victims about their rights under the Code and to ensure their needs are met.”

The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Baroness Newlove, said the Government’s Victims and Prisoners Bill can be a “real game-changer”, but it “needs strengthening”.

She added: “This Bill must put in place robust and independent scrutiny, more transparency and proper accountability. Without this, I fear we will simply not address the shortcomings highlighted by the inspectors.”

Katie Kempen, chief executive at the charity Victim Support, said the report “lays bare the reality that too many victims are being failed by the criminal justice system” and examples of good practice within it come “amidst widespread failures to deliver victims’ rights and meet their needs after crime”.

She said: “Time and again victims aren’t being referred to vital support services, given the chance to make a Victim Personal Statement, or updated about their case. This isn’t good enough. Criminal justice agencies – including the police – must be held to account for the service they deliver to victims.

“We urge the Government to use the Victim and Prisoners Bill to strengthen victims’ rights and make sure that they are monitored and enforced.”

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