Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England

Essay by lethanhtungUniversity, Bachelor's December 2007

download word file, 6 pages 3.0

The Criminal Justice System (CJS) is one of the major public services in the country. Across the CJS, agencies such as the Police, the Courts, the Prison Service, the Crown Prosecution Service and the National Probation Service work together to deliver the criminal justice process.

The work of these agencies is overseen by three government departments: the Home Office, the Attorney General's Office, and the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

These departments and agencies are working together to reform and improve the criminal justice system in order to:•Prevent and detect more crime•Give victims and witnesses more support•Punish and rehabilitate more offendersThe Local Criminal Justice Boards lead on key priorities for reducing crime and administering justice on a regional basis. Specifically, the LCJB is charged with local delivery of the following CJS objectives:•Improving the delivery of justice;•Improving the service provided to victims and witnesses; and•Improving public confidenceThe CJS is divided to many areas such as Victim, Witness, Defendant, Offender, and Juror.

_Victim: That's anyone who has been affected by crime. Being a victim of a crime can be difficult and confusing experience. The victim personal statement adds to the information you have already given to the police in your statement about the crime. It gives you a chance to tell the police about any support you might need and how the crime has affected you for example, the crime could have affected you physically, emotionally or financially.

You should only make a victim personal statement if you want to. You do not have to make a personal statement straight away, you can always ask the police to help you make one later on.

If you make a victim personal statement, it will become part of the case papers. This means that it will be seen by everybody involved with...