The labour government's new approach to criminal justice

Abstract

The Government has been in office for just over a year: a good time to examine where we are going in criminal justice. We have a new approach, with new ideas, new themes, new emphases and new actions. We want the criminal justice system to deal with crime in its social context, tackling causes as well as effects, stopping crime before it starts rather than dealing with its consequences. We also want the criminal justice system working better as a system. We want problems properly identified and looked at holistically, with the interested parties working together. We want to address the problems that really concern people where they live. We want particularly to improve how young people are dealt with by the system. The introduction of the Crime and Disorder Bill has already done much towards achievement of these goals. Amongst a range of other measures it brings in local crime prevention partnerships, anti‐social behaviour orders and a range of new measures for dealing with young offenders. At the same lime, we are addressing the social context with our New Deal and Welfare to Work programmes, our action to tackle social exclusion and our support for the family and good parenting. We shall move on with reform of the youth court and other measures to improve the criminal justice system and the operation of its agencies. We will continue our proactive and positive approach to removing the threat of crime and disorder to everyone's quality of life.