A criminal justice system with victims at its heart

Our criminal justice system should be built around the needs of victims, not the agencies within it. That’s the call from Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd.

It comes on the back of a new report:  Meeting the needs of victims in the criminal justice system – a compendium of findings on the quality of services provided to victims by agencies within the criminal justice system.

Mr Lloyd said: “I want to see Greater Manchester leading the way in supporting victims of crime and their families. The needs of the victim should be at the heart of everything we do, the police, the criminal justice system, and the voluntary organisations that provide much-needed support.

“Now that I am responsible for victims’ services, I’ll be commissioning services based on the needs of the victim, not the system. No one wants to be a victim of crime, but if people do find themselves in such a position, I want them to know exactly who they can turn to, what the processes are, and what levels of service and support they can expect.”

Across Greater Manchester, partner agencies – including Tony’s office – have been laying the foundations for a significant overhaul of the way victims are supported in order to provide the highest standards possible.

This work includes the introduction of a new website which is designed to make it easier for victims and survivors of crime in Greater Manchester to get help and support, regardless of when the crime took place, or if it was reported to police. The site provides practical advice, information, and a directory of support services that can help. People are also encouraged to use the site to share their experiences of the criminal justice system to help drive forward improvements and changes.

Mr Lloyd said: “Only by listening to victims and hearing their experiences can we start to make the improvements so desperately needed. The feedback I receive will help me support the changes necessary to help improve criminal justice services and information.”

Other work being carried out includes the mapping out of the ‘victim’s journey’ to find weaknesses, gaps, and overlap; a redesign of rape and sexual assault services to make support more accessible; and a complete overhaul of the way victims are signposted to support services.

Published by the Criminal Justice Joint Inspection, Meeting the needs of victims in the criminal justice system compiles information taken from across the full range of individual inspectorate and criminal justice joint inspection reports published between April 2014 and July 2015.