Victims’ Commissioner challenges PM to prioritise criminal justice reform

Read the letter to the Prime Minister

The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman, has challenged the Prime Minister to place criminal justice reform at the heart of his plans for national renewal, warning that victims, public safety and confidence in public institutions will continue to suffer without a long-term strategy for reform.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, the Commissioner argues that criminal justice reform has been largely absent from the government’s wider vision for national renewal, despite mounting pressures across courts, prisons, probation and policing.

The intervention comes ahead of the Prime Minister’s address to Labour Party Conference on Tuesday and follows growing warnings from across the criminal justice system about mounting pressures and risks to public safety.

“If national renewal is the mission, criminal justice reform must become a national priority. A government committed to social justice cannot afford to overlook criminal justice,” she writes.

The next tranche of prison releases is set to commence on 1 October, amid continued concern over whether agencies across the criminal justice system have the capacity and resources required to manage increasing levels of risk as more offenders are managed in the community.

At the same time, record court backlogs are increasing pressure on prison capacity while leaving victims waiting years for justice, with around one in five prisoners currently awaiting trial.

Recent figures show there are 80,829 outstanding cases in the Crown Court, the highest level on record. Almost a third (29%) of those cases have been open for more than a year, and over a third (35%) of all outstanding rape cases have now been open for over a year.

The Commissioner’s intervention comes amid a growing chorus of warnings from across the criminal justice system. In recent weeks, police leaders, probation inspectors and public protection agencies have all raised concerns about mounting pressures and the implications for public safety.

Last week, Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, publicly warned that pressures elsewhere in the justice system were contributing to decisions that risked undermining public safety.

Recent findings from HM Inspectorate of Probation have highlighted continuing concerns around workforce pressures, with Chief Inspector Martin Jones warning that public protection work was not being delivered consistently well enough to provide the assurance victims and communities were entitled to expect.

Commenting, Claire Waxman OBE, Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, said: 

The Commissioner has consistently argued that the prison capacity crisis cannot be resolved without first tackling the wider challenges facing victims and the justice system. Tackling court backlogs, strengthening public protection and improving victims’ experiences of the justice system must form part of any long-term reform programme.

Criminal justice reform should be given the same strategic priority as other major public service reforms if the government is serious about national renewal.