CJI annual Stakeholder Conference at the Stormont Hotel

Criminal Justice Inspection hosted its annual Stakeholder Conference at the Stormont Hotel, Belfast.  The one-day conference looked at the benefits and challenges the devolution of policing and criminal justice would present for statutory and voluntary and community organisations working within the criminal justice sector.  The conference was opened by the Attorney General, the Rt. Hon Baroness Scotland QC.  Other speakers who addressed the audience of over 100 delegates included the Lord Advocate of Scotland, the Rt. Hon Elish Angiolini QC and the Chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Sir Patrick Cormack MP.  They were joined by Aideen Glimore, Deputy Director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice and Steve Costello, Chairman of the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland.

During the one-day conference Kit Chivers gave his annual review during which he spoke of the work undertaken by the Inspectorate during the course of the year and examined the issue of the devolution of policing and criminal justice.  The conference also provided an opportunity for CJI to consult its stakeholders on its draft inspection programme for 2008-09.  Brendan McGuigan gave a brief overview of the topics and areas within the criminal justice system that CJI intended to inspect and review.  He encouraged delegates to help shape the organisation’s next three-year Corporate Plan by indicating the areas where they, as participants within the criminal justice system, felt the Inspectorate should focus its efforts in the future.