CRIMINAL JUSTICE BULLETIN

Transcription

1 CRIMINAL JUSTICE BULLETIN WORKING TOGETHER FOR A MODERN CJS A bi-monthly newsletter for criminal justice partners Issue 1 / January 2014 MESSAGE FROM CRIMINAL JUSTICE BOARD On behalf of the Criminal Justice Board, Happy New Year and welcome to the first Criminal Justice (CJ) Bulletin. It is nearly a year since I established the Criminal Justice Board and it s been a busy period. The Board s first major milestone was the publication of the Criminal Justice Strategy and Action Plan - Transforming the CJS. This was the result of true cross-agency collaboration at all levels, and sets the direction for reform of the CJS. It starts from the premise that all parts of the CJS should work towards the same shared outcomes. It also sets out a number of actions for achieving a 21 st century criminal justice system one that is digital, transparent and responsive; faster and right first time; provides the right response to crime; is caring and considerate towards victims and witnesses; and works in partnership. Since then, our focus has quickly moved to delivery. The first ever court broadcast from the Court of Appeal took place on 30 October. We published the evaluation of our six month flexible courts pilot across 42 magistrates courts in England and Wales on 25 November. Flexible courts have since been rolled-out in a number of areas. The new Victims Code was implemented on 10 December, following launch on 29 October. There has been clear progress to digitalise the CJS, including rollout of Version 2 of Track My Crime providing real-time information to victims on their crime, the identification of 30 Digital Pathfinder forces to test and develop the digital capabilities of local Police, and proof of concept pilots to test digital case files for high volume crimes in eight police forces. Looking ahead this year, we will continue to have a busy agenda. The Out-of-Court Disposals consultation closed on 9 January and we will publish our response by March. In April, the new National Probation Service will come into being to deliver the plans set out in Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform. By April 2014, the CJS Efficiency Programme will enable police forces to transfer case material electronically in over 90% of cases to the Crown Prosecution Service for use in the Magistrates Courts. We will also see the further adoption CONTENTS p.1 Message from the Criminal Justice Board p. 2 Cross Agency Activity p. 3 Local Perspectives p. 6 Notices p. 7 Request for Help Annex 1: Shared outcomes Annex 2: CJS Efficiency Newsletter Annex 3: Transforming Rehabilitation Annex 4: Hampshire and Isle of White LCJB Projects Annex 5: Kent LCJB Projects of police-led prosecution in 26 other forces in addition to the original nine. As Chair of the Board, I recognise we need to work harder at communicating our priorities to Local Criminal Justice Boards and Partnerships (LCJB/Ps), and ensuring we ask for and hear feedback. This CJ Bulletin is aimed at filling the communication gap on a number of levels and is the result of feedback from local partnerships to our online survey last year. In the survey, you said that you wanted timely information on existing and planned programmes affecting local delivery. This Bulletin aims to do just that, and more, by providing updates on work affecting LCJB/Ps, as well as providing an opportunity to celebrate and share innovative good practice. I am grateful for your continued hard work and commitment and look forward to continuing to work in partnership to deliver a CJS fit for the 21 st century. Damian Green Chair of Criminal Justice Board & Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice 1

2 CROSS-AGENCY ACTIVITY CJS Shared Outcomes The Strategy and Action Plan saw the first publication of our CJS shared outcomes. This was an important step as it is the first time that the CJS agencies have articulated and agreed what our shared ambition for the future is. These shared outcomes set out what we are all working towards and will form the basis for all future planning. To find out more and how LCJB/Ps helped us develop the shared outcomes, see Annex 1. CJS Efficiency Programme The cross-agency Criminal Justice System (CJS) Efficiency Programme aims to introduce digital working throughout the CJS, and in particular to deliver the digital courtroom. The Programme will deliver technology to drive the transformation of the criminal courts, equipping practitioners to manage information digitally, work from digital devices, and access remotely held case material through the internet. Advocates will present evidence using modern digital technology, increasing the accessibility and quality of the in-court experience. Technology will start to enter courtrooms in England and Wales from spring of next year, to meet the ministerial ambition that courtrooms operate digitally, rather than from paper, by See the latest quarterly programme newsletter at Annex 2. Digital First Strategy The Digital First strategy aims to enable frontline officers to capture, use, store and share evidence digitally. The use of laptops, mobile devices and cameras, from the first point of contact with victims and witnesses will offer them an improved service, and better outcomes at court. The strategy seeks to support the police to exploit digital evidence in a more consistent way in order to improve cost effectiveness, underpin wider CJS reforms and deliver improved services. The National Police Delivery Lead said it is without doubt the most transformational era in policing as we seek to make better use of current technology and rid the service of paper. Online Collaboration CJS professionals are increasingly using online collaboration tools as a way of connecting with colleagues, both internally and across agencies. Sites such as Yammer, POLKA or Knowledge Hub are great ways of collaborating with others across the CJS to share best practice, communicate key messages and develop innovative ideas for change. Yammer has recently been established within MoJ HQ and HMCTS, while POLKA is maintained by the College of Policing and its Talk to us about Criminal Justice community (on which this Bulletin is posted) has more than 12,000 members. MoJ is currently exploring whether there is one platform that can be rolled out for use across the CJS and will keep readers informed of any developments. Video-links Those working within Criminal Justice will know that the use of video links in criminal justice proceedings is not new, and equipment is already available in many prisons and courts across England and Wales. For a range of common and straightforward case types it is not always necessary for people to physically attend court, and increasing the use of video technology can help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of criminal proceedings in several ways. Using video technology can reduce the inconvenience or distress experienced by victims and witnesses, save police and other criminal justice staff time, reduce transportation of defendants and save the taxpayer money. Improving magistrates courts To inform work on making first hearings more effective in magistrates courts, a cross-cjs team (CPS, HMCTS, MoJ and ACPO) has undertaken visits in Essex, Avon and Somerset, Cumbria, Nottinghamshire and Bedfordshire. The team has been identifying the key characteristics of effective first hearings that will be considered by the Criminal Justice Board at their January meeting in a few weeks time. CPS Lead Nicky Movick said: I m impressed with the strong crossagency working and confident we can improve the effectiveness of first hearings by adopting the key characteristics, to achieve more first time guilty pleas and a reduction in the number of hearings. PCCs as local victims champions On 14 November 2013 Damian Green, as Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims, addressed Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and emphasised that he wants them to become local victims champions in every force area. The Minister wants to see PCCs taking a collaborative approach at local level, working with the CPS and all criminal justice representatives to put victims needs right at the heart of the criminal justice system. LCJB/Ps have a key part to play to support this collaborative approach to deliver a better service to the public and to victims. 2

3 Handling of the Disability Hate Crime Under the direction of the former Director of Public Prosecutions and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead for Hate Crime, policy leads for 11 areas are auditing the response to disability hate crime in their areas. The audits will measure the quality of service to victims and the accuracy of data recording. The results of the audit will be reported back with recommendations about any changes needed to improve data collection and prosecution practices. The work is in response to concerns about how criminal justice agencies record these crimes. The Crime Survey of England and Wales suggests that less than 1 in 30 offences are recorded by the police. Transforming Rehabilitation The Ministry of Justice s Transforming Rehabilitation reforms are now well into the implementation and delivery stages as the transition date of 1 April 2014 approaches. At this point the rehabilitation of offenders across England and Wales will be managed and delivered by 21 regional Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the new National Probation Service (NPS). The competition to select providers to run the 21 new CRCs began on 19 September Thirty-five companies have begun bidding for the 21 contracts. Further information on the reforms can be found at Annex 3. Funding Restorative Justice Provision The Government remains committed to making Restorative Justice (RJ) available at all stages of the Criminal Justice System. 29m of additional revenue raised from offenders through the increased Victim Surcharge, increased penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) and increased motoring fixed penalty notices (FPNs) is being made available to fund Restorative Justice provision over the next three years. 22m will go to Police and Crime Commissioners to build RJ capacity and capability. Where that is sufficient, victim-initiated RJ provision and pre-sentence RJ will be commissioned. RJ can also be initiated by, or on behalf of, the offender and this will be delivered through the Transforming Rehabilitation programme. In addition, some funding is going to the Youth Justice Board, Restorative Justice Council and Restorative Solutions. Getting the right information to plan and monitor performance To understand how we best fulfil our Strategy and Action Plan (25) commitment to work with local partnerships to help establish what information you need to plan effectively and monitor performance, we talked to LCJB/P Managers in every area in September and October. During the past month, we've followed up these discussions with Board members and Business or Performance Managers in nine areas to give us a really crisp analysis of the priority information requirements. Thank you to everyone who has helped us to develop this. To make sure we've got this analysis right, we'll be sending it to LCJB/P Chairs, Business Managers, and other contributors in early January. Please let us have your views! If you'd like any further information in the meantime, please contact claire.smith@justice.gs.gov.uk Sharing user satisfaction data Action 27 of the CJS Strategy and Action Plan commits us to explore effective mechanisms for sharing user satisfaction data to ensure that the way in which services are provided is improved. LCJB/Ps were recently consulted on their use of user satisfaction data to plan and monitor performance in their area. Those who do, use data from police, Victim Support/Witness Service surveys or the Crime Survey for England & Wales. A number of LCJB/Ps have conducted their own surveys. We are keen to promote the use of user satisfaction data to inform service improvements, where available. Examples are also being collated from across the CJS so they can be made available nationally. Four partnerships have recently provided examples. If you can help, please contact Paul Ansell paul.ansell@justice.gsi.gov.uk by 31 January. LOCAL PERSPECTIVES Avon and Somerset Criminal Justice Board (CJB) have extended their use of Integrated Offender Management (IOM) and have established a fully integrated multi agency unit named 'IRiS' (Integrated Response integrated Services), to manage high risk offenders, using IOM principles. The unit comprising police, probation, mental health services and psychologists specialising in personality disorders are currently managing 190 offenders. Early indications show a significant reduction in actual reoffending compared to predicted reoffending for cohort members. The scheme is currently undergoing independent evaluation by the University of Portsmouth. Derbyshire CJB undertakes bi-monthly file audits to improve quality and content in prosecution First Time Hearing files in accordance to the national CJS Efficiency Programme. Thirty files have been reviewed and issues highlighted for discussion at Prosecution Team Performance Meetings. Issues addressed include quality of MG5 police report summaries (73% good in August 13 to 100% good in November 13), need to record compensation requests correctly and need to 3

4 include necessity test on arrest (from 37% in August 13 to 63% in November 13). Issues are fed into Constabulary s Improving Investigations project headed by the Assistant Chief Constable. Dyfed Powys LCJB ran a cross-agency Criminal Justice Event on 9th September 2013 on efficiency and effectiveness. Sessions covered digital working from a defence solicitor s perspective, benefits of the Early Guilty Plea scheme, streamlined forensics and issues on Taken Into Consideration (TICs). Since the event, some Defence Solicitors have been showing more interest in using digital ways of communicating with agencies. The event has also led to cross-agency working with HMCTS and the Police on a training initiative on court skills for new police recruits. Feedback from a case progression officer who attended said: "The event was well worthwhile as I understand how we all fit in and what happens when we don't talk to each other." Cambridgeshire Police has a county wide Operation called Metis which is to deliver the future of a paperless Police force by Chief Constable Simon Parr is the national policing lead for Technology, driving forward the future digital infrastructure along with CPS and the changes to working digitally in the Court room. Police mobile data devices are being tested and the access to Police systems and the ability to record evidence will greatly aid the effectiveness of Police time operationally. In addition to Mobile devices, the implementation of Live Links and Virtual Courts video usage will assist in the partnership's efficient use of Court resource time and capacity. Hertfordshire CJB have just gone live with a second Virtual Court based at Hoddesdon. CJ partners have agreed to test some wider uses of the video link by the police. Detectives and investigators have undertaken training to test requests for Search Warrants, 3 day Lay Downs and Warrants for Further Detention to detain the offender in Police custody. These provisions take up time and resources and the video link helps Police to access spare court time remotely and at any court location. Hertfordshire is also looking to develop future use of video technology for Proceeds Of Crime Act (POCA) Confiscation Order hearings and Production Orders in e.g. fraud case in support of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Economic Crime Units and others. Hampshire and Isle of Wight LCJB and Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner jointly held a three day multi-agency victim journey event in November 2013 to understand and identify cross-agency improvements to the services for victims. Hampshire is also participating in the Digital Charging Pilot which is to trial an amended charging process, and the MG5 Pilot, testing the use of a tailored MG5 for specific offences. Hampshire is one of the pathfinders that tested the concept of Police Led Prosecution. Details on each of these pilots and other cross-cjs initiatives in Hampshire can be found at Annex 4. 4 In Humberside, since December 2012 women offenders in Hull are assessed at the point of custody, instead of undergoing conventional prisoner processing. Low level female offenders who confess guilt in custody and agree to the triage disposal, after which a referral is made to the Together Women Project (TWP) who offer a single gateway service and builds support and rehabilitation plans for individuals. The initiative was established with no specific project budget, but has benefited from funding from the Rank Foundation and Esme Fairbairn Foundation. Intended outcomes are reduced reoffending, reduced number of victims and significant cross-agency efficiencies beyond the formal CJS. It will be subject to evaluation in partnership with Hull University later in Kent CJB has secured 2.4m over 3 years to establish an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor service to provide victims with support through the court process. The area is also piloting a single Virtual Remand Court, receiving prisoners from across the county to improve court utilisation. Recent successes include Warrants for further Detention and Applications for Search Warrants by video link, the launch of a Restorative Justice Vision that will allow victims and offenders to complete a RJ intervention during their criminal justice journey, and implementation of Mental Health Courts across the county in order to reduce reoffending through making sure defendants mental health needs are met. The year ahead will see Police Officers giving evidence by video in Crown Court. For further information on these projects can be found at Annex 5. Lincolnshire CJB has been focusing on developing Pavement to Prison restorative justice (RJ) as there have been gaps in RJ opportunities for victims. Lincolnshire is a pilot area for the Restorative Solutions Adjourning Sentence project which is due to begin in the New Year and in addition, the Community Justice Panel pilot is being reviewed, developed and expanded across the county. An out of court disposal scrutiny panel is about to be introduced which will include restorative and community resolutions. It is hoped that victims and local communities will have a greater voice across the criminal justice system and that the consistent and transparent approach of the local community will increase public confidence. Restorative Justice project REBUILD is unique in a number of respects. It takes referrals about most offences from both victims and offenders and it serves the counties of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. It is managed by the LCJB through a pan-county partnership which is learning about how to make the project more effective and improve referral routes to ensure that more victims of crime have access to the service. After a rigorous assessment process it offers a full range of RJ interventions and is getting great feedback from both offenders and victims of crime. For more see articles in Resolution.

5 Running the cross-cjs Efficiency Programme under the governance of the Local Criminal Justice Board has been key to its success in Norfolk and Suffolk. Communication is always fundamental to the achievement of any project to avoid mixed messages coming from uncoordinated channels and confusing cross-agency work. Strong, well-established relationships across the CJS locally have resulted in open and frank discussions, successful problem-solving, transparency across the agencies and excellent progress against a challenging timetable. Positive outcomes of this include Norfolk and Suffolk delivering component one of the matrix significantly ahead of schedule. The Efficiency Delivery Partnership in Northumbria comprises representatives from HMCTS, CPS and Police. The team monitors and embeds Phase 1 digital working; as well as preparing for the challenges of Phase 2. Other projects underway include a Probation Task and Finish group, which has been instrumental in creating additional space for Probation staff on court sites. The primary aim of this is enable the production of timely reports. Cross-agency working has very recently achieved the aim of centralising the road traffic court in Northumbria with a view to digitising the road traffic file for digital prosecution by a Police led Prosecutor in the next few months. Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust will form a community rehabilitation company (CRC) from 1 April In preparation, briefings are being undertaken with Local Authorities, local police forces, Community Safety Partnerships, local safeguarding children's boards and local magistrates to outline the planned changes in probation services. Community Safety Partnerships and police await guidance form NOMS on how IOM schemes will work alongside CRCs post April. Until then, all partners are committed to operating their local schemes. Local Child Safeguarding Boards intend for multi-agency working to continue and seek reassurance that establishment of CRCs will not lead to service fragmentation and increased risk to children. Staffordshire Police and Probation are fighting for change - using boxing to reduce reoffending in Stokeon-Trent. The Northern Integrated Offender Management unit will be teaching their clients to box. These offenders often have drug issues and commit acquisitive crime to fund their habits, as well as long criminal records, making it hard to get work. Rachael Smith, the experienced Probation Officer and keen amateur boxer - behind the idea, says: Exercise facilities are under-used in treating substance misuse and mental health. On our coaching team we have two police officers, an ex-professional boxer, an offender who has fought 40 bouts, and myself. Surrey and Sussex Criminal Justice Partnerships are identifying key priorities and opportunities for collaboration over Both police forces are implementing NICHE, an integrated system for crime, intelligence, custody and case preparation. Our NOMS Restorative Justice (RJ) pilot builds capacity with about 40 staff and volunteers for post-sentence RJ conferencing. We are developing our IOM approach following the positive findings from research carried out by Sheffield Hallam University. We are moving forward with Police Led Prosecutions with centralised road traffic courts at Staines and Worthing. A re-evaluation of Specialist Domestic Violence Courts in Sussex has triggered a review of commissioning arrangements for support services and referral pathways. The Justice Agencies and Courts in Warwickshire are co-located into two Justice Centres situated in Leamington Spa and Nuneaton. The unique Centres provide easier access to all of the agencies and facilities designed for victims and witnesses. Benefits to the agencies include easier access to people in the Joint custody Unit and information on reoffending, co-location of Integrated Offender Management Teams, statutory and voluntary agencies serving and supporting victims and witnesses. There are significant financial benefits in sharing modern accommodation and services. Further details are also available by clicking here. Wales Probation recognises the value of partnership and welcomes the opportunity to play a lead role for several All Wales CJB priorities, including addressing the issue of violence against women. This is helping improve understanding of this complex crime, prevent offending and reoffending, and better support victims. The CJB is implementing a range of collaborative approaches to address domestic abuse and an information-sharing protocol with the police. It is also collaborating with partners to help identify and work with serial perpetrators of domestic abuse, and support and engage with innovative projects such as the South Wales Police pilot to use body-worn camera footage to capture the immediate aftermath of domestic abuse offences. This evidence will inform pre-sentence assessment and recommendation to the courts. 5

6 NOTICES Avon and Somerset are one of 10 pilot areas for presentence Restorative Justice (RJ), starting in February. Cases where the defendant pleads guilty and both the defendant and victims agree to take part in RJ will be identified and sentencing adjourned to allow the RJ process to take place beforehand. For further information, please contact: Cumbria Criminal Justice Board has merged with other local boards to form Safer Cumbria. First point of contacts are and Devon and Cornwall are entering into discussions about the feasibility of extending prison lock out times - the latest time prisons will accept offenders remanded from court. Extending lock out times would enable Magistrates courts to sit longer hours to reduce Police costs and mitigate risks related to detention in Police cells. Please contact Hannah.HART@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk to share or obtain further information. Derbyshire CJB is compiling risk and opportunity registers in relation to Transforming Rehabilitation. The next refresh of the registers with recommended mitigating action is due to be completed by January The registers are proving very useful to assist with area planning for Transforming Rehabilitation. If other areas wish to adopt a similar inter-agency approach, please contact: Rosemary.Spilsbury.4809@Derbyshire.PNN.Police. UK Humberside Police are working with Humberside Probation Trust and two local Prisons (Everthorpe and Wolds and Hull) to introduce an Integrated Offender Management intelligence Hub into the prisons by end March Contact Robbie.Walker-Brown@humberside.pnn.police.uk for further information. In South Yorkshire, a meeting took place at Doncaster Prison with Prison, Health, Probation and service provider colleagues on 27 November. This was an inaugural meeting that aims to establish healthcare standards for prisoners pre-release. Intended outcomes are a planned return to community-based care prior to release if possible, a smooth and stable transition from custody to community (from a health & well being perspective) and a co-ordinated approach to reduce the likelihood of reoffending. Direct any queries to Linda.Mayhew@southyorks.pnn.police.uk A pilot will commence this month in Hampshire to test the concept of a 'Hampshire Community Court'. This cross-agency early intervention scheme provides an alternative approach which enhances the use of non-charge disposals by allowing members of the community to participate in determining appropriate intervention sentences for criminal offenders. Request further information from fiona.sullivan@hampshire.pnn.police.uk National Strategy for Police Information Systems (NSPIS) forces, including Norfolk and Suffolk, are experiencing delays in the introduction of the new Athena IT system and are in discussion with CPS to agree a solution that sees digital information currently sent via secure rather than the EXISS link (direct transfer from Police into the CPS Case Management System). Use of secure results in a major resource issue for CPS while use of the link results in major resource issues for the Police. Discussions are ongoing. A joint ACPO and CPS team is developing plans to better support those victims and witnesses who are most at risk of pulling out of cases. These include domestic violence victims, young victims and witnesses and those who have already had an ineffective hearing in their case. For more information contact Hazel.rowe@cps.gsi.gov.uk and d.bates@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk MoJ's Victim Policy team is considering how to ensure that good practice in dealing with victims is shared, and that any cross-system issues affecting victims identified locally are represented to Government. For more information about ongoing work to improve local redress for victims, please contact Adebola.Fabunmi@cjs.gsi.gov.uk. A high level review has been conducted, looking at ways to reduce the distress suffered by some victims of sexual violence from cross-examination in the trial process, the outcomes of which will be shared early in Contact joanne.savage1@justice.gsi.gov.uk for information in the meantime. 6

7 REQUEST FOR HELP Action 24 of the CJS Strategy and Action Plan commits us to publish more data on the priorities of the CJS so that the public can better understand criminal justice services in their area. To inform options for delivery, we need information on the frequency of public queries to LCJB/Ps, the type of information requested, and the levels of internet traffic to past or present websites. If you are able to assist please contact by 31 January. As part of the CJS Strategy and Action Plan, MoJ are leading work to revamp use of Community Impact Statements (CIS). We are interested to hear from partnerships that frequently use CIS to find out about local approaches and the outcomes achieved. Contact to share local information. The Criminal Justice Bulletin is a bi-monthly publication. The next edition will be published week commencing 3 March and a commissioning and template for contributions will distributed in advance. If you would like to share thoughts on the Criminal Justice Bulletin, please the editor: Joyce Connell at criminaljustice.bulletin@justice.gsi.gov.uk Working together to: reduce crime and re-offending, protect the public, punish offenders, provide reparation, be fair and just, increase public confidence 7

8 CJS shared outcomes In 2012, MoJ commenced a project to develop a set of shared outcomes that all parts of the CJS could share. The team were keen to ensure that all areas of the CJS took part in this exercise, from policy officials to front-line practitioners. A number of workshops were held around the country and a big thanks goes out to the following Local Criminal Justice Boards and Partnerships (LCJB/Ps) who gave their time and allowed the team to pick their brains - Cumbria, Durham, Cleveland, Merseyside, Norfolk and Suffolk, Northumbria, West Midlands, Kent, London, Surrey and All Wales. In addition, the team also ran workshops with a wide range of cross CJS policy and strategy leads. As a result, the following CJS shared outcomes emerged: reduce crime: we will work together to prevent crime, deter re-offending and reduce the number of victims. We must keep reducing crime year-on-year. reduce re-offending: a quarter of offenders reoffend in one year. Offenders must be properly punished but also given the support they need turn their lives around, and stop them from committing further crimes. punish offenders: there must be consequences to crime. We must ensure that offenders are caught and receive an appropriate punishment. protect the public: public protection is paramount. Offenders must be caught and prevented from re-offending whether through a custodial sentence or supervision in the community or rehabilitation. provide victims with reparation: we want to see offenders making amends for what they have done, by apologising, making financial compensation, or some other form of redress. increase public confidence including among victims and witnesses: we must do more to build confidence within communities so that victims and witnesses have confidence to participate in the system. ensure the system is fair and just: the public rightly expects the CJS to protect the innocent, convict the guilty and ensure equal access to justice. The Strategy and Action Plan saw the first publication of these CJS shared outcomes. This was an important step as it is the first time that the CJS agencies have articulated what our shared ambition for the future is. These CJS shared outcomes set out what we are all working towards and will form the basis for all future policy and strategy planning, both at a national and local level. 1

9 Issue 4 Special points of interest: Wi-Fi to be rolled out in criminal courts New implementation planner launched Phase 1 nears completion Legal Advisor perspective on the digital court Understanding Digital First Inside this issue: New CJS Efficiency Delivery and Assurance 2 HMCTS Store enters development 2 Dedicated Traffic Courts 2 in most areas Digital Courtrooms: The 3 Legal Advisor View New focus to encourage defence digital working 4 Phase 1 nears completion 4 Working digitally on the frontline of crime 4 Crown Court Testing in Birmingham 4 Minister sets out vision for digital policing 5 Wi-Fi is to be made available in the majority of court houses as part of a drive to reduce inefficiency and delay in criminal justice proceedings. The development follows an announcement in June 2013 by Justice minister Damian Green, which committed 160 million to improve digital working across Criminal Justice agencies and introduce digital courtrooms. Wi-Fi connectivity will help Criminal Justice professionals like Defence advocates, Probation officers and Prosecutors access their own information management systems when needed. Connectivity in the courtroom will help facilitate more efficient running of proceedings in the criminal courts. Courthouse Wi-Fi will support the wider move to digital working in court by helping to prevent adjournments and delay. Why now? The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) already sends information to the magistrates courts in digital format, but the absence of digital working in the courtroom itself means documentation still needs to be provided in hard copy for hearings and trials, with all the cost and inefficiency involved. Wi-Fi is part of a wider plan to introduce digital working in court, and will help improve the ability of the court, and the CPS to share information digitally and in real time with those who need it. Wider plans to enable digital working in court over the next months include the introduction of in-court digital presentation facilities, a better store for managing information held by the court, a solution for digital working by the Bench and a greater utilisation of video technology. Wi-Fi will help address common causes of delay Peter Lewis, Chief Executive at the Crown Prosecution Service and a Senior Responsible Owner on the CJS Efficiency Programme said: We are introducing Wi-Fi in court to help improve collaboration, reduce unproductive down time for advocates and enable remote access to additional material to facilitate the smooth running of proceedings. This should in turn help reduce delay in criminal justice proceedings, creating benefits and improving confidence across the system. When is it arriving in courts? Installation is planned to commence in late The CJS Efficiency Programme anticipates that it will take around 18 months to complete the rollout. The Programme s Early Adopter Areas (EAAs) will be the first to have the technology installed in their courts in each region. This will ensure lessons can be learnt ahead of wider national rollout. The Early Adopter Areas are the West Midlands, Croydon, South Wales, Northumbria, Merseyside, Essex and Hampshire. Page 1

10 New CJS Efficiency Delivery and Assurance Approach A new approach to help local areas prepare for the implementation of digital courtroom technology has been developed by the CJS Efficiency Programme. The Adoption Matrix, which has been a useful tool to drive progress in getting the CJS working digitally to the courtroom door, will not be used from April The Implementation Planner provides a detailed framework for how national project teams will work with regional and local implementation teams to make the digital courtroom a reality over the next two years. The Implementation Planner is a high level document providing a broad picture of expected activity across the projects. Detailed work packages covering all implementation activities will support the high level document, providing detailed information about tasks against a timeline. The Planner will underpin Programme implementation activity from April HMCTS Store enters pre-development Work on a new case management data store for HMCTS has entered the pre-development stage following the appointment of a software development company to work with the project team. The Store is crucial for HMCTS to be able to move away from the reliance on paper, and work digitally in the court room. The ambition is for the Store to allow automated receipt of case paperwork from CPS, enable direct access - via a link to the casefile from Libra - for the Legal Adviser, allow role based access for other authorised Criminal Justice practitioners, and provide access to a suite of digital forms and robust data housekeeping and archiving capability. The aim is for pre-development work to inform an initial build of the Store solution, starting in the New Year. Staff in the CJS Efficiency Programme Early Adopter Areas will have early sight of the build in order to give feedback and assist with the design. It is intended the Store will be rolled out nationally to Early Adopter sites in late Dedicated Traffic Courts set up in majority of areas Dedicated Traffic Courts have now been successfully established in 30 areas across England and Wales and judicial agreement is being sought to list all low-level traffic cases together at these courts. We want all areas to have a dedicated traffic court, and we are on track to reach this target. Traffic courts from West Yorkshire to Sussex have shown how effective and efficient this process can be. In a traditional court an average of 35 cases may be listed in a day, which could include traffic cases alongside other types of cases such as assault, shoplifting, and domestic cases. Dedicated traffic courts allow low-level traffic offences, such as speeding, traffic-light and document offences, to be dealt with at one local magistrates court. Up to 100 cases can be dealt with in a single session, reducing unnecessary delays and allowing local magistrates courts to focus on more serious offences. The government s vision is for dedicated traffic courts in all 42 police-force areas. Justice Minister Damian Green said: Low-level traffic offences such as speeding can take up to 6 months from offence to completion which is a huge drain on the smooth running of the criminal justice system, and takes focus away from more serious offences. This is simply unacceptable. Page 2

11 Digital Courtrooms the Legal Advisor View Issue 4 CJS Efficiency News went out to Birmingham to speak to Dan Hillman, a Legal Advisor at Birmingham Magistrates courts, about his impressions of digital working in court. Here is what he had to say. What is the digital court all about? The digital court is about testing ways of working digitally so we can reduce our dependency on paper and moving people around. Paper is expensive to produce, store and use for communication. Correspondence sent digitally can be received and considered almost immediately - crucial in criminal proceedings. What are the benefits? The solutions we ve been testing have been of great benefit. Take professional court user Wi-Fi - we re now able to share information more readily from the courtroom. The big benefit from the legal advisor perspective is that the court runs more smoothly. For example CPS may historically have had to pop out of the courtroom to pick up a fax, detailing say witness availability or another file. Now the CPS can access that information from the courtroom in live time via the Wi-Fi. The in-court presentation equipment here also helps us continue the digital approach taken by CPS, allowing evidence to be shown digitally in court without the risk that the evidence will not display because it is not formatted in a particular way. How does it affect you? In terms of the work of a legal advisor in the digital court we have a means of viewing and sharing information digitally with the Bench, or the wider courtroom on the large courtroom screens. In the test court in Birmingham we have been able to use second screens to manage Libra, Outlook and take notes in the usual way. We have also been able to communicate with advocates via using the Professional Court User Wi -Fi e.g. to communicate with lawyers in the cell area. This reduces waiting time both for the lawyer and the court. Why is it important? We spend far too much money producing paper for court users. More broadly we are under pressure to use our courtrooms more efficiently and effectively moving forward. The digital courtroom removes the need to produce this paper in the first place. The same information is made available but it is available sooner - in or out of court. Dan at work in the Digital Courtroom at Birmingham magistrates courts Page 3

12 New focus to encourage defence digital working Issue 4 Good progress in getting defence firms to sign up to secure is being boosted by a focused effort to engage a sub-set of Legal Aid Agency (LAA) defence providers known as the large magistrates courts providers group. Currently, 68% of crime contract holders with the Legal Services Commission have a Criminal Justice Secure (CJSM) account. A focus on the large magistrates courts providers group, will help to ensure that they are connected to, and exchanging information digitally, via CJSM with the CPS. There are 291 defence firms in this group, of which 252 now have access to CJSM. This group has been defined as any LAA provider who has submitted 500+ claims in the magistrates courts in 2012/13. Together these providers deliver 86% of all magistrates court work. The CJS Efficiency Programme is also working with a number of very large defence providers nationally (London, Birmingham, Manchester and across East Midlands) to test digital working for first hearings in the magistrates courts. Phase 1 of the Programme nears completion The deadline for completion of Phase 1 of the CJS Efficiency Programme s work is at the end of March 2014 not long now. A key aim of Phase 1 was to get all police forces to send digital material to the CPS, in preparation for criminal proceedings in court. All forces should either have met this target, or have a clear plan for doing so by the end of the financial year. Sarah Shrubshall, leading the effort to get the police working digitally with the CPS and the courts, is keen that forces get in touch if they are experiencing issues or encountering barriers to meeting the deadline. Sarah said: It s important that police forces are able to work digitally with CJS partners when preparing for criminal proceedings by the end of March. The next phase of digitising Criminal Justice will build on the assumption that material is being received by the courts digitally. If you think your force is going to struggle to meet the target please contact the Home Office Delivery team on digital.first@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk so we can work together on a solution. The Delivery Team will continue to check forces progress against the Phase 1 adoption matrix on a regular basis in the lead up to the deadline, and can offer support where there is slower progress. Working digitally on the front line of crime The Home Office Digital First strategy aims to get frontline officers capturing, storing and sharing evidence digitally. If you would like to know any more about any of these areas of work, please digital.first@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk The use of laptops, mobile devices and cameras, from the first point of contact with live incidents or with victims and witnesses can help improve the experience of the justice system and lead to more efficient criminal proceedings. The Digital First strategy supports the police to exploit digital evidence in a more consistent way in order to improve cost effectiveness, underpin wider CJS reforms and deliver improved services. The effort is focused on making use of, where appropriate: bodyworn video, streamlined digital case files, digital witness statements and; the collaborative digital information store (CDIS). Page 4

13 Digital Crown Court test for early pleas Birmingham Crown Court has led testing of digital Early Guilty Plea Hearings (EGPH). Partner agencies have worked together in Birmingham to build a workable process for a digital file build. The file, along with correspondence and documentation such as pre-sentence reports is stored by the staff digitally and viewed by the Judges in court using their judicial laptops. Local CJS practitioners attended a launch event led by the Resident Judge, HHJ Davis QC ahead of commencing testing. The test went live on 2 September To date there have been 105 EGPHs before 12 different Circuit Judges all of which have been dealt with digitally. It is recognised that there are limitations in using the current Crown Court IT solutions and there is still a need for dual process working. This was reinforced by the feedback received by the Judiciary and staff. Further work will focus on increasing defence uptake of secure in order to reduce the amount of scanning of defence material, providing a way for the Court Clerk to view the digital file and implementing a process for electronic indictments. Navdeep Hear, Single Point of Contact for West Midlands Early Adopter Area said: The testing led by the Judiciary and staff at Birmingham Crown Court has demonstrated a real appetite for working digitally. Their work will help inform the national Programme team s work on a digital working solution for the Crown Court. Minister sets out vision for digital policing G OOGLE US AT CJS E FFI CIENCY P ROGRAMME A digital pathfinders programme across Police Forces is driving increased digitisation in reporting and dealing with crime, Policing and Criminal Justice minister Damian Green told the College of Policing in November. 30 police forces have already signed up to be digital pathfinders. The Minister said: "The next phase of police reform - probably the most radical yet - is about transforming how policing is delivered at the front line. At the heart of this is how officers use technology and the importance of the role it will play." The Home Office aims to have police forces working digitally by 2016, with officers being able to routinely access necessary information out on the street without wasting time going back to the station. At the same time the aim is for the public to have better access to the police in a way and at a time better suited to modern life. The Minister said: "Why should we still expect people to come into the police station to report a crime and give evidence when they might be able to do it online? Ministers envisage greater convenience in reporting crime The Minister said that digitisation should not mean making a paper form into a pdf and ing it across to someone else in the criminal justice system. Or worse, he said, recording digital evidence and then copying it onto three CDs, and sending one of them across to someone else in the justice system by post. The Minister said: "If this is still happening in your force, it shouldn't be." "The Sussex force already allows the public to report crime and incidents online., and Avon and Somerset allows the public to track the progress of their crime online." Page 5

14 Transforming Rehabilitation enters next phase The Ministry of Justice s Transforming Rehabilitation (hyperlinked) reforms are now well into the implementation and delivery stages as the transition date of 1 April 2014 approaches. At this point the rehabilitation of offenders across England and Wales will be managed and delivered by 21 regional Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the new National Probation Service (NPS). The key reforms are: The market will be opened up to a diverse range of new rehabilitation providers, so that we get the best out of the public, voluntary and private sectors, at the local as well as national level. New payment incentives for market providers to focus relentlessly on reforming offenders will be introduced, giving providers flexibility to do what works and freedom from bureaucracy, but only paying them in full for real reductions in reoffending. A new public sector National Probation Service will be created, working to protect the public and building upon the expertise and professionalism which are already in place. For the first time in recent history, every offender released from custody will receive statutory supervision and rehabilitation in the community. We are legislating to extend this statutory supervision and rehabilitation to all 50,000 of the most prolific group of offenders those sentenced to less than 12 months in custody. A nationwide through the prison gate resettlement service will be put in place, meaning most offenders are given continuous support by one provider from custody into the community. We will support this by ensuring that most offenders are held in a prison designated to their area for at least three months before release. The competition to select providers to run the 21 new CRCs began on 19 September, with 35 potential prime providers submitting a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) demonstrating their commercial viability and operational skills/approach to run probation services. If successful, the 35 potential prime providers could begin bidding for the 21 contracts early next year. The list of qualified bidders will be announced before the end of 2013, with successful bidders in place and delivering services by 2015.

15 Existing cross-agency projects Victim Satisfaction In order to improve the service provided to victims and witnesses in Hampshire & IOW, a 3 day victim journey event has been held jointly in November 2013 led by the LCJB and OPCC. The purpose of the event was to develop a better understanding of how victims are currently supported, communicated and engaged with, by bringing all agencies together to map the victim s journey from beginning to end, identifying any gaps and duplication in service and to challenge current processes to ensure that future provision is joined-up. The outcomes from the 3 day Victim Journey event will be reported in to the LCJB in January 2014 for decisions to be made on implementing improvements Police Led Prosecution Hampshire & IOW were one of the pathfinders that tested the concept of Police Led Prosecution, where police assume responsibility for all specified proceedings cases (primarily low level traffic offences which are largely dealt with in the defendants absence) up until the point of trial. The aim of police led prosecution for specified cases is to reduce delays and strip out duplication. A pilot was carried out that proved removing CPS from the process has enabled a more streamlined service. This was rolled out in Hampshire in November 2013 with police staff carrying out the role of Police Presenter and is being linked in with the implementation of a centralised traffic court and the digital transfer of traffic case papers. Digital Charging Pilot Hampshire Police and CPS Direct are taking part in a national pilot to trial an amended charging process. The pilot will streamline the process as the officer in the case will send the case papers directly to CPS via the electronic interface between police and CPS rather than via , followed with a telephone conference. CPS will then reply via with a charging decision within 2-3 days. This will then mean little or no further preparation will be needed for first hearing. Benefits will save officers time having to wait on the telephone and reduce file preparation time. Evaluation will be carried out in March 2014 between CPS Direct and Hampshire Constabulary, particularly impact on bail rates within custody, CPS Direct charging decision rates, impact of timescale from arrest to charge, file quality, and staff feedback MG5 pilot The aim of the digital file is to develop, test, refine and rollout a fully digital prosecution file based on bespoke products for specific offences and offences categories. Hampshire is one of 9 forces piloting the use of MG5 template for theft from person, retail theft and common assault (nondomestic). Project CARA / Domestic Abuse Conditional Caution Hampshire Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, Home Office, Hampton Trust and Cambridge University are jointly working on a project to determine whether assigning offenders of Domestic Abuse to a Perpetrator Workshop, as part of a conditional caution, reduces reoffending. This will then be compared to those without this condition to analyse whether this disposal is an effective way to deal with the aftermath of Domestic Abuse offences. Digital Case File The Hampshire & IOW vision is to create and submit case file materials with minimum clerical intervention. The technology should be intuitive and enable digital uploading. Once it is uploaded it will be easily accessible. The case file will be available to officers throughout the course of the investigation. The case file assembly will be easily managed and case file data will be able to be transferred and collected by partners from a collaborative platform Testing is underway in the East of Hampshire between police and CPS for pre-charge advice cases. 1