Inside Justice Week - opens the Criminal Justice System to the public
11 Oct 2004
'Inside Justice Week' starts today and will take place across England and Wales until Saturday. Throughout the week Local Criminal Justice Boards and CJS agencies will be organising events and opening their doors to the public. Information on local events and the week in general can be found at www.cjsonline.gov.uk/insidejustice
The week will give the public a chance to learn more about the Criminal Justice System in their local area and encourage them to get involved. Ministers and officials from the key CJS departments will be attending events and visiting criminal justice projects in areas across the country.
Constitutional Affairs Secretary Lord Falconer said:
"Inside Justice Week allows local communities to engage with staff working across the Criminal Justice System locally. I would encourage people to find time over the week to attend one of the many and varied events that have been organised. Many Crown and magistrates' courts are holding open days and hosting mock trials, giving local people the opportunity to see the role the courts have in administering justice."
Baroness Scotland, Minister for the CJS, said:
"The chance of becoming a victim of crime has fallen to the lowest in 20 years. However people also need to feel safe. Communities need to know what the Criminal Justice System is doing on their behalf and how they can play their part. I hope Inside Justice Week will help achieve this.
Members of the public are vital to the Criminal Justice System: Community Support Officers, magistrates, jurors, Victim Support and Witness Service volunteers not to mention people reporting crime and turning up at court to give evidence. The Government is working hard to improve the service that the Criminal Justice System provides, in particular to victims and witnesses. But in collaboration with local communities we can make even more progress towards delivering a fairer and more just society."
Lord Goldsmith QC, the Attorney General, said:
"Inside Justice Week means just that - showing people what it's like inside the justice system. It means building mutual understanding. Building mutual engagement. If people are reluctant to engage with the Criminal Justice System, the Criminal Justice System will find it increasingly difficult to deliver what the public expects of it - convicting the guilty and acquitting the innocent.
Prosecutors across the country are keen to build on their work reaching out to their local communities, learning about what concerns them, what interests them. It is only by developing this two-way understanding and engagement that we can build a fully effective criminal justice system fit for the 21st century."
Notes to editors:
All the local events will be open to the media and local CJS figures will be happy to discuss the issues that affect each area and how people can get involved. Ministers and senior officials are available for interview on the subject of the CJS and are taking part in radio phone-ins and television news programmes throughout the week.
Any further media enquiries should be directed to the Home Office press office:
T 020 7273 2196