Theme 2: Policing and Criminal Justice

Opportunities to improve outcomes for victims and test provisions for offenders exist throughout the criminal justice system. The Police and Crime Commissioner is positioned to challenge and influence national portfolios and government policy. Membership of boards include the Local Criminal Justice Board, which is able to test all points of the victim experience in the justice system; the Health and Wellbeing Board, where a current strategic aim is to look at the most effective management approach to substance misuse, and regional meetings with Police and Crime Commissioners.

The Police and Crime Commissioner insight to Constabulary pressures, coupled with the regular input from Community Safety Partnerships enables the role holder to shape National Portfolios held by the Association of the Police and Crime Commissioners, work with other Commissioners such as that for Children, Victims and Domestic Abuse and to raise issues and opportunities to the Policing Minister.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

The Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the main prosecuting authority in England and Wales. The CPS works in partnership with all agencies in the criminal justice system, particularly the police, but makes decisions independently of the police and government.

The CPS has 14 Areas across England and Wales - the CPS Wessex Region consists of the counties of Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and Wiltshire. Chief Crown Prosecutor Joanne Jakymec is the head of CPS Wessex, supported by Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Nicola Haywood. Emma Tebbutt, the Area Business Manager has responsibility for Business and Operational Delivery functions across the region.

Courts

All criminal cases start in a magistrates’ court. There is not a jury in a magistrates’ court. They normally handle cases known as ‘summary offences’, such as motoring offences, minor criminal damage or common assault. Magistrates’ courts always pass the most serious crimes to crown court.

A crown court deals with serious criminal cases, for example murder, rape, robbery. A crown court usually has a jury which decides if a person is guilty or not guilty and has a judge who decides what sentence a person gets. It also deals with appeals against a magistrates’ court conviction or sentence and cases passed from a magistrate’s court for trial or sentencing.

Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is served by the following courts: Basingstoke Law Courts Newport Isle of Wight Combined Court and Magistrates’ Court Portsmouth Combined Court Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court Southampton Combined Court Southampton Magistrates’ Court Winchester Combined Court

Prisons in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

HMP YOI Winchester was built in 1846 and is typical of the Victorian prison, radial design. It is currently a Category B Local prison that serves the local courts, with a small 129 bed Category C Resettlement Unit, named Westhill.

Winchester has an operational capacity of 690 and is able to take men from the age of 18 upwards. The regime run allows men to attend education, work and training and other interventions such as substance misuse groups.

It has recently featured in the Channel 4 series, Crime and Punishment which raised awareness of the challenges faced in the prison by the staff and the importance of rehabilitative support for prisoners. The current Governor is Jim Bourke.

HMP Isle of Wight was opened in April 2009; it was formed by the clustering of three former establishments HMP Parkhurst, HMP Albany and HMP Camp Hill. In March 2013 the Camp Hill site was decommissioned as part of an ongoing programme to modernise the prison estate and further reduce the costs of prison. HMP Isle of Wight’s present role is a category B male training prison. The prison holds approximately 1100 prisoners on two sites with a central administration. The current Governor is Doug Graham.

Probation

The national probation service is a statutory criminal justice service that supervises high risk offenders released from prison in to the community. The NPS works with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. Hampshire Probation Service is based in Southampton. Lower risk offenders are currently supervised by the Community Rehabilitation Companies, the private arm of probation services but this will fall within one unified National Probation Service from 2021. From June 2021 the South Central administrative area will be formed bringing together the probation services in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and Thames Valley force area together.

LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE BOARD

Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have a Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) which has strategic responsibility for the operation of the local criminal justice system across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The board meet bi-monthly, with task and finish sub-groups meeting more frequently. .

The role of the Board is to bring together the key partners and most senior representatives of each of the criminal justice agencies in the county collaboratively to provide the best possible service to the public of Hampshire and IOW at delivering justice. The board also holds a governance role over a number of multi-agency initiatives.

The LCJB’s vision is to deliver in partnership, a fair, effective and efficient Criminal Justice System, focusing on the service given to victims and witnesses of crime, prevention and rehabilitation of offenders in order to make Hampshire and the Isle of Wight a place where people will feel safe to live, work and visit.

Membership is made up of the PCC and representatives from Hampshire Constabulary, Crown Prosecution Service Wessex, HMP Winchester, Community Rehabilitation Company, defence, Youth Offending Team, National Probation Service, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, and a Crown Court Liaison Judge.

The current priorities of the LCJB are:

Improve the service delivered to Victims and Witnesses Reduce re-offending and reduce crime Deliver an effective and efficient criminal justice system

Through monitoring and measuring performance meaningfully and collectively, the LCJB will know whether the plan is working. Effective collaborative working by criminal justice agencies across the LCJB sub-groups is essential to deliver the priorities.

The LCJB is also committed to communicating the work that is on-going within the criminal justice system to promote justice and provide a better understanding to the residents of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The Police and Crime Commissioner is positioned to challenge and influence national portfolios and government policy.