Improving Justice Delivery for Victims and Witnesses
26 Jul 2007
The third edition of the Adult CCMF (Magistrates' Courts) has just been published, building on improvements and successes already being seen in the new processes and procedures of Simple Speedy Summary Justice (CJSSS).
These include:
• The average time between charge and conclusion halved - down to 23 days.
• A 30% increase in guilty pleas at first hearing - and 59% of guilty pleas being dealt with there and then.
• Improvements in the time taken to bring people to justice - trials now happen on the date fixed and in good time, between 6-10 weeks following first hearing.
The updated CCMF provides guidance on how criminal cases should be handled from the moment of arrest through to their conclusion. Aiming to ensure the least possible bureaucracy, duplication or delay for victims and witnesses involved in criminal proceedings, CCMF also benefits police, prosecutors and court staff by providing guidance, support and a useful training tool.
The initial CCMF, introduced in 2004, and CJSSS are playing an important part in ensuring more offenders are being brought to justice and the number of ineffective trials is reducing significantly.