By Lucy Caulkett-
Victims of crime are not receiving the best service available to them by the criminal justice service.
A comprehensive joint inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMI Probation), has exposed significant shortcomings in the support provided to victims of crime in England and Wales.
The report, titled ‘Meeting the Needs of Victims in the Criminal Justice System,’ identifies a range of issues contributing to victims not receiving optimal services, including competing demands, high workloads, poor communication, and a lack of experience within the criminal justice system.
Rather than focusing on meeting individual needs, the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and Probation Service are found to prioritize compliance with the Victims’ Code, sometimes resulting in a superficial “box-ticking” exercise.
The inspectors acknowledge positive initiatives such as victims’ hubs and online portals, which have the potential to enhance victims’ experiences. However, these efforts often operate in isolation at a local level.
Wendy Williams, His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, emphasized the need for a collective effort to improve victim support in the criminal justice system. She expressed concern over the report’s findings, stating, “Once again, victims are too often not getting the service they are entitled to. It is vital the whole of the criminal justice system works together to improve the service it offers to victims.”
The report puts forth six recommendations to address the systemic issues
They include: Commissioning a broader and fundamental review of the experience of victims of crime, involving other Government departments.
Development of Victims’ Code performance metrics and reporting systems, including metrics on how criminal justice bodies engage with victims and the quality of the engagement.
Development of minimum standards for the completion of victim needs assessments, including for timeliness of completion and clarity on the information to be recorded.
Agreement of minimum standards and consistent processes for how witness care communicates with the police, CPS, and victims to help effective, agile and timely information-sharing.
Ensuring all eligible victims are referred to the Victim Contact Scheme. Provision of training on the work of the Victim Contact Scheme to all probation practitioners.
Andrew Cayley KC CMG, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of the CPS highlighted the urgency of improving victim services, emphasizing that heavy workloads, loss of experience, poor communication, and inconsistent support contribute to poor victim experiences.
Sue McAllister, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation, stressed the importance of allocating victim liaison officers, noting that for victims with a designated officer, having one person working with them helps in keeping them informed after the offender has been sentenced.
The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Baroness Newlove, welcomed the inspectorates’ recommendations and called for robust and independent scrutiny, more transparency, and proper accountability through the upcoming Victims and Prisoners Bill.
She emphasized the need for the bill to address the shortcomings highlighted by the inspectors, urging the government and parliament to prioritize the implementation of reforms to transform victim support in the criminal justice system.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation, Sue McAllister,(pictured) added: “Improving services to victims of crime is crucial and this joint inspection has showed that there is much work to be done.
“We have found that, for those victims who were allocated a victim liaison officer, they benefited from having one person working with them to keep them informed. Although this applies to only a small number of victims, it helps victims to have their voice heard after the offender has been sentenced.”
The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales welcomed the inspectorates’ “sensible recommendations”.
“Complying with the Victims’ Code must go beyond simple box-ticking – it’s about understanding what victims need, making sure their rights are delivered, and supporting them through the whole criminal justice process.” said Baroness Newlove.
“I welcome this important joint inspection of treatment of victims in the criminal justice system. It tells us police, prosecutors and probation are prioritising process over helping victims. It re-enforces my own view that all too often our criminal justice system hits the target but misses the point.
“The report highlights the importance of effective scrutiny, ensuring practitioners have a better understanding of what victims need and improved communication across the different agencies. I agree with all these findings.”
She added: “The Government’s Victims and Prisoners Bill gives us the opportunity to change all of this. It can be a real game-changer. However, it needs strengthening.
This Bill must put in place robust and independent scrutiny, more transparency and proper accountability. Without this, I fear we will simply not address the shortcomings highlighted by the inspectors.
“I welcome the inspectorates’ sensible recommendations. The Government and Parliament must make sure the Victims and Prisoners Bill meets the challenge and becomes a catalyst for change.”