AC 1.2

• Main agencies of the criminal justice system

  • Law creation
  • Parliament
  • Judges
  • System administered by the minstry and the home office
  • Police
  • Crown Prosecution service
  • HM courts and tribunals service
• Main agencies of the criminal justice system

  • Magistrates
  • Crown court
  • HM Prison and Probation service
  • Probation service
• Police

  45 police forces across England and Wales. Responsible for investigating crime. Collecting evidence and arresting or detaining suspected offenders
• HM Court and Tribunal service

  Responsible for the administration of courts and tribunals in England and Wales. There are different courts for criminal, civil and family law
• HM Prison and Probation service

  Carries out sentences given by the courts, in custody and the community and rehabilitates people in through employment and education
• Judiciary

  Make up of judges, Magistrates, tribunal members and coroners. They uphold the rule of law
• Ministry of justice

  Has responsibility for different parts of the justice system. The courts, prisons, probation service and attendance centres. Ministerial department. Supported by 32 agencies and public bodies.
• Ministry of justice

  • Gross expenditure 2023 - 24 £14.8 billion
  • Overall cost to taxpayer to £13.1 billion
• Home Office

  Lead government apartment for immigration and passports. Drugs policy, crime, fire, counter terrorism and police
• Crown Prosecution service

  Prosecutes criminal cases that have been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations in England and Wales
• Parliament

  UK parliament has two houses that work on the behalf of UK citizens to check and challenge the work of the government. Makes effective laws. Debate/make decisions on big issues of the day.
• Probation service

  Statutory criminal justice service that supervises offenders released into the community, while protecting the public. 28,000 staff employed in the probation service in England and Wales
• Prison service

  Keep public state by holding prisoners securely. Give people in prison support and education they need to prepare for a life without offending

  • Runs 105 of 122 prisons in England and Wales
  • Men's, Women's and young offender
  • 86,000 people in prison in England and Wales
  • 22,000 prison officers and 5,000 operational support staff currently in post
• Probation service

  • Statutory criminal justice service that supervises high risk offenders released into the community
  • Executive agency, sponsored by HM Prison and Probation service
  • Receives funding from Central Government through the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation service
• Probation service

  • Has a relationship with HM Courts and Tribunals service as they are responsible for managing all offenders that are given a community order by the courts and preparing pre - sentence reports on offenders
  • Has a relationship with HM Prison service as they are responsible for managing all offenders on license and following their release into prison
• Probation service

  • Police have a relationship with the Prison service as they may need to search for and arrest any offenders who breached the terms of their license or community order
  • Probation service works with charity organisations such as NACRO who help offenders on license with things like housing, education and drug and alcohol treatment programs
• HM Prison Service

  • Executive agency, overseen by HM Prison and Probation service
  • Role is to keep those sentenced to prison in custody
  • Receive their funding from Central Government through Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation service
• HM Prison service

  • Have a relationship with HM Courts and Tribunals as they carry out custodial sentences that the court has imposed on offenders
  • Also supervises defendants who have been remanded into custody (refused bail) by the court
  • Facilitate visits from defence lawyers to their clients in prison
• HM Prison service

  • Have a relationship with the police as they facilitate interviews with prisoners involved in ongoing police investigations
  • Have a relationship with the Probation service as they liaise with them when a prisoner is to be released from prison on license
  • Works with charity organisations such as the Prison Reform Trust and The Howard League for penal reform to improve conditions in prisons for prisoners
• HM Courts and Tribunals service

  • Responsible for the administration of criminal courts in England and Wales and provides funding for the individual courts
  • Executive agency which is overseen by the Ministry of Justice
  • Has a relationship with Parliament and Government as they enforce the laws created there through the trial and appeal processes
• HM Courts and Tribunals

  • Police have a relationship with HMCTS as they give evidence as prosecution witnesses, protect vulnerable witnesses during trial, hold defendants in police cells, and transport defendants to and from court
  • CPS have a relationship with HMCTS as they prepare the prosecution case and present it to court, including appeals against unduly lenient sentences
• HM Courts and Tribunals

  • CPS also have a relationship with the HMCTS as they assist the court in reaching a decision on the appropriate sentence
  • HMPS have a relationship with HMCTS as they carry out custodial sentences that the court has imposed on offenders and supervise defendants who have been remanded into custody (refused bail) by the court
• HM Courts and Tribunals

  • Probation service has a relationship with the HMCTS as they carry out any community sentences that the court has imposed and supervise any offenders
• Crown Prosecution Service

  • Independent body whose duty is to make sure that the right person is protected for the right offence, and to bring offenders to justice wherever possible
  • Budget is around £500m per year, mostly from Central Government. Also recover some of its costs when courts awards costs against defendants
  • CPS advise the police in their investigations about lines of inquiry and the evidence needed to build a case
• Crown Prosecution Service

  • CPS independently asses the evidence submitted to it by the police and decide whether to prosecute the defendant and if so, what charges should be brought
  • CPS prepares the prosecution case and presents it in court, using its own lawyers and self employed specialists
  • CPS assists the court in reaching a decision on the appropriate sentence. Will draw the court's attention to any victim's personal statement, any evidence of the impact of the offending on a community and any aggravating and mitigating factors
• Crown Prosecution Service

  • CPS assists, informs and supports victims and prosecution witnesses
  • CPS prepares and presents appeals against unduly lenient sentences
• Police

  • Receive 2/3 of their funding from Central Government with most of the remainder coming from local and county councils through council tax
  • Police are overseen by the Home Office who set national policing priorities
  • When the police investigation is complete, the police will send more serious cases to the CPS who will make a decision about whether a suspect can be prosecuted
• Police

  • CPS will also advise police about investigations and what further evidence may be needed
  • Police have a relationship with the court as they give evidence as prosecution witnesses, protect vulnerable witnesses, hold defendants in police cells and transports defendants to and from court
• Police

  • Police arrest prisoners recalled to prison for breaching terms of their license
  • Police cooperate with prison and probation services in managing the list of child sex offenders living in the area
• Police

  • Police have a relationship with voluntary organisations victims and witnesses to Victim Support and witnesses Services