HM COURT SERVICE News
Release (05/08) issued by The Government News Network on 17 July 2008
Courts running
more efficiently with fewer delays, a greater use of community
justice schemes, and victims of domestic violence having their
cases heard in the safety and comfort of specialist courts, are
just a few of the success stories reported on in the HMCS 2007/08
Annual Report.
Publishing the report, Chief Executive, Mrs Chris Mayer says:
"The work of Her Majesty's Courts Service impacts right
across the community, and touches the lives of many people. Our
annual report for this year illustrates the success that we have
had in ensuring that people have recourse to a justice system that
is accessible, and responsive to their needs."
During 2007/08 courts across England and Wales heard more than
2.2m criminal cases in the magistrates' courts; 120,000
criminal cases heard in the Crown Court, and there were 2m civil cases.
The report details the inroads that HMCS has made in increasing
community confidence in the Criminal Justice System through
innovative approaches which include the implementation of
community justice courts. These courts work with local communities
to tackle problems caused by offending in the local area.
Other programmes include working in partnership with local
authorities in piloting the Family Drugs and Alcohol Court, and
continued testing of the Dedicated Drugs Court model.
The year has seen ongoing support for the Specialist Domestic
Violence Court Programme, which is now in 98 sites across England
and Wales. One of the key features of these courts is their direct
connection to advisers, and around three-quarters of clients
involved in the court process were supported by Independent
Domestic Violence Advisers at court, helping to represent
victims' views and provide ongoing support. A review of the
first 23 of these courts showed that they have lead to significant
improvements for domestic violence victims.
To further improve the court environment for court users, eight
new court buildings were opened over the course of the year. This
includes the Manchester Civil Justice Centre the largest civil and
family court to be built for more than 100 years in England and
Wales, which was formally opened by Her Majesty The Queen in February.
A focus on compliance with court orders has resulted in an
increase in the fine payment rates and greater compliance with
outstanding warrants for breach of court orders.One significant
contributor to achieving these high rates of repayment was the use
nationwide rollout of text messaging as a means of contacting hard
to reach defaulters.
HMCS' commitment to alternative dispute resolution has
resulted in provision of the small claims mediation service in all
county courts. The use of this service has been high during
2007/08 small claims mediators conducted 3500 mediations, of which
over 2400 (some two-thirds) ended in successful mediation.
The report highlights on the successful introduction and
implementation of the Criminal Justice: Simple, Speedy, and
Summary (CJSSS) scheme in magistrates' courts. As of April
2008, all local criminal justice areas in England and Wales have
introduced CJSSS and as a result of this magistrates' courts
across the country have reduced the time taken in dealing with
criminal cases.
This year also marks an important new chapter for HMCS in the
development of a new and unique partnership agreement between the
Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice for the governance,
financing and operation of the courts.
This arrangement, came into effect from 1 April 2008, and places
the leadership and broad direction of the HMCS into the hands of a
new Board with an independent non-executive chairman.
Commenting on the publication of the report Mrs Mayer said:
"'It is a testament to HMCS staff that they have
managed to achieve so much at a time of significant change, the
last year has seen a number of excellent projects which need to be
considered for nationwide rollout.
"Given the judiciary's new role it is crucial that
together we recognise the challenges ahead. Amongst other things,
in the coming year we will focus on the court estate, IT systems
and delivering a more personalised service."
ENDS
Note:
1. Her Majesty's Courts Service is an executive agency of
the Ministry of Justice. It is responsible for the management of
the crown, county, and magistrates' court.
2. The 2007/08 Annual Report can be accessed for http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/files/HMCSAnnualReport-2007-08.pdf .
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk