Community Justice: research, resources and links

Featured resources

Reforming Prison Dental Health Services: OPM's good practice guide examines the policy context, main challenges and how these challenges are being addressed. It then recommends some actions for prisons, PCTs and SHAs to consider.

Our research

In our research we have found that, although younger and older people may have different reasons for believing that crime and anti-social behaviour is ‘out of control’, their responses are similar: they are reluctant to report crimes. Both groups also doubt official statistics that show improvements in community safety. This results in an erosion of confidence in the criminal justice system. Among other conclusions, our research suggests that ‘in-touch’ community policing, effective and rapid, joined-up responses and effective public engagement are central to boosting public confidence.

Resources and external links

Balancing Community Interests Abstract of a speech by Sue Goss, OPM Principal, at the Solace Conference (Oct 2005): 'Leadership, in local government, is no longer simply a matter of leading the organisation called the local council. It is about leadership within a place and offering leadership to a messier network of partner agencies, the private sector and the wider community ...'

The Conjunction of Criminal Opportunity - A framework for crime reduction toolkits by Paul Ekblom, Policing and Reducing Crime Unit at the Home Office.

Good Race Relations Guide: Criminal Justice System This guidance applies to the whole criminal justice system, but uses police forces as a case study, on which other criminal justice agencies can draw. In recent decades research has identified serious concerns about the treatment of people from ethnic minorities by the criminal justice system. Police and other criminal justice agencies have unique enforcement powers under the law, and it is essential for good race relations that these powers are used fairly and equitably, and that all racial groups have confidence in the criminal justice system.

Jargon Buster - A List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
Originally for use within North Yorkshire Police, but is useful for wider application.

Neighbourhood Crime and Anti-social Behaviour: Making places safer through improved local working
This Audit Commision report considers how local agencies responsible for community safety can work better together and with local people to make neighbourhoods safer and improve the perception of public safety.

A Partnership for a Better Scotland Partnership agreement supporting stronger safer communities.

Policing and the Criminal Justice System - Public Confidence and Perception This Home Office report presents the findings from the 2004/05 British Crime Survey on public confidence and perceptions of policing and the wider criminal justice system (CJS).

Public Confidence in the Criminal Justice System This is a Home Office survey conducted by MORI. During February and March 2003, researchers carried out interviews with 2,001 people aged 16 and over in England and Wales. They evaluated public attitudes to and perceptions of the CJS and its constituent agencies (eg, the police, prison and probation services, courts and the Crown Prosecution Service), identifying levels of confidence and satisfaction.

Reducing Reoffending: National Strategy for the Management of Offenders This first strategy, outlined in this Scottish Executive publication, covers the planning period to March 2008. A further three year strategy will take forward this work for the period 2008-11.

Reducing Re-Offending through Skills & Employment (Green Paper) This Paper sets out how offenders can be better trained and helped to get jobs.

Reforming Prison Dental Health Services This OPM guide to good practice has been written for prison dental health leads in strategic health authorities (SHAs) and primary care trusts (PCTs), and for prison health care managers. It examines the policy context, main challenges and how these challenges are being addressed. It then recommends some actions for prisons, PCTs and SHAs to consider.

Respect Action Plan This Government initiative has been designed to 'rebuild the bonds of community'. The agenda focuses on 6 strands of work: supporting families; a new approach to the most challenging families; improving behaviour and attendance in schools; activities for children and young people; strengthening communities and effective enforcement; and community justice.

Results Through Partnership (by Jon Harvey) Using whole system events to develop and deliver effective safety strategies.

Links

Clinks Clinks was established in 1998 to strengthen and develop the partnerships between voluntary and community-based organisations and the Prison and Probation Services in England and Wales. This continues to be the basis of their work, with an additional strand that now focuses on developments relating to the introduction of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS – see below).

www.crimeconcern.org.uk Crime Concern is an independent, socially aware business with eighteen years experience finding sustainable solutions to crime and anti-social behaviour.

www.crimereduction.gov.uk Crime Reduction upplies information and resources to people working to reduce crime in their local areas.

www.drugs.gov.uk This website provides drugs professionals with the latest news and guidance from government about the Drugs Strategy.

EU Crime Prevention Network (EUCPN): This website showcases the work of the EU Crime Prevention Network, providing information on crime prevention issues and activities which can help deliver effective solutions to prevent and reduce crime.

The Howard League The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the UK. It was established in 1866 and is named after John Howard, one of the first prison reformers. The Howard League is entirely independent of government and is wholly funded by voluntary donations.

I&DeA Knowledge: Local Area Agreements - Local Agreements Network The I&DeA network provides a comprehensive and extended support service for lead officers, specialist officers and their partners who are engaged in developing, negotiating and delivering LAAs.

Independent Police Complaints Commission The IPCC's job is to make sure that complaints against the police are dealt with effectively. They set standards for the way the police handle complaints.

Independent Monitoring Boards Few people realise that inside every prison and immigration removal centre there is an Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) – made up of ordinary members of the public. IMB members are independent and unpaid, appointed by Home Office ministers to monitor the day-to-day life in their local prison or removal centre, and ensure that proper standards of care and decency are maintained.

Independent Custody Visiting Association This is a voluntary organisation that promotes the custody visiting process nationally, through advocacy, training, publicity and ongoing support to all involved in the process.

NOMS As a single service, the National Offender Management Service brings together the work of correctional services. It ensures that court sentences are effectively implemented across organisational boundaries and that the focus is on end-to-end management of the offender. NOMS is also responsible for designing interventions and services for offenders that are designed to reduce reoffending and reconviction and protect the public.

Prison Health Prison Health is a partnership between the Prison Service and the Department of Health, working to improve the standard of health care in prisons. The partnership aims to provide prisoners with access to the same quality and range of health care services as the general public receives from the NHS.

Restorative Justice Consortium This consortium set its trajectory by defining restorative justice as: 'a process whereby: (i) All the parties with a stake in a particular conflict or offence come together to resolve collectively how to deal with the aftermath of the conflict or offence and its implications for the future, and; (ii) Offenders have the opportunity to acknowledge the impact of what they have done and to make reparation and victims have the opportunity to have their harm or loss acknowledged and amends made.'

www.rethinking.org.uk Rethinking Crime & Punishment is a strategic initiative to raise the level of public debate about the use of prison and alternative forms of punishment in the UK.

Safer Communities Initiative This initiative, launched by the Home Office, has provided £20million for Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships to tackle crime and disorder in their area, to meet national crime reduction targets and other local priorities.

The Safer and Stronger Communities Fund The SSCF was introduced for all local authorities in England in 2005. The Fund brings together DCLG and Home Office funding streams aimed at tackling crime, antisocial behaviour and drugs, empowering communities, and improving the condition of streets and public spaces – in particular for disadvantaged neighbourhoods, where these issues often require more attention.

Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research This Centre aims to improve the criminal justice research infrastructure and expand research capacity in Scottish HEIs, and use that enhanced capability to carry out an integrated programme of high quality criminal justice research on topics which are relevant to Scotland's criminal justice needs, and which improve the evidence base of Scottish crime reduction and criminal justice policy.

Skills for Justice This is the dedicated Sector Skills Council and Standards Setting Body for the Justice sector. Working with Justice sector organisations across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, Skills for Justice identifies the skills priorities and actions required for workforce development.

Social Sciences Government Policy Gateway See the policing section of this gateway for articles, papers, reports and educational materials relating to all aspects of Government policy and public administration.

The UCL Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science This institure is the first in the world devoted specifically to reducing crime – through teaching, research, public policy analysis and by the dissemination of evidence-based information on crime reduction.

If you think we can be of help, please email: Munira Thobani or Paul Lloyd or phone us on 0845 055 3900.