CJS performance system launched nationally
17 July 2008
CJ Know-How brings together information from many sources including police, prosecutor and court databases. The web-based application allows users to measure performance in a range of ways, for instance how well victims of crime are informed about their cases and how long a case takes to reach court.
The application allows staff to run virtual business models to see how changing the way criminal justice agencies handle cases can improve the system locally. It also enables staff to share their experiences and best practice with other areas.
In Cumbria for example, CJ Know-How has been used to identify the use of Conditional Cautions as a means of providing local victims and offenders with a faster and more effective outcome. Such cautions are given to offenders on admission of the offence instead of charging and prosecuting them. The CJ Know-How application in Cumbria demonstrated that the use of these cautions freed up courts to deal with more serious cases and saved local criminal justice agencies almost £100,000 per year to spend elsewhere on tackling and reducing crime.
Home Office Minister for Crime Reduction, Vernon Coaker, said:
"A professional performance system may seem a world away from a local police officer in your street. But that officer is part of an integrated Criminal Justice System and CJ Know-How will greatly support that officer to work seamlessly with thousands of colleagues supporting him or her to protect the public."
The Solicitor General, Vera Baird QC, said:
"CJ Know-How collects more information, faster, and puts it to more use. It saves many thousands of hours of staff time across the Criminal Justice System in collecting performance data and has already reduced the time-lag for access to live data across the whole System from three months to one month. It is only right that we have a highly professional performance management system to support the very human face of helping victims and witnesses and dealing effectively with offenders."
Justice Minister Lord Hunt, said:
"To reduce re-offending, we have to carefully manage how we deal with offenders from the point of arrest to when their sentence finishes and beyond. CJ Know-How will help criminal justice agencies to work closely together to identify what methods are successful and to share that success."
Logica and Northgate Information Solutions are working together to provide the IT expertise behind CJ Know-How.
Commenting, Juanita Taliadouros, Managing Director Public Sector, Logica UK, said:
"Logica is delighted that CJ Know-How has already led to tangible operational improvements within the Criminal Justice System. This is an excellent example of public and private sectors working together collaboratively and effectively to deliver tangible outcomes.
Ian, Blackhurst, Managing Director of Criminal Justice & Public Safety for Northgate Public Services said:
"We are committed to building innovative partnerships with the public sector to provide safer and stronger communities and supporting the needs of victims and witnesses. CJ Know-How demonstrates how information can be used intelligently by the criminal justice agencies to improve performance and provide quality and continuously improving services to the public."
For more details, please contact Peter Morris on 020 7035 8734 or peter.morris5@cjs.gsi.gov.uk.