Chief Inspector calls for change to address avoidable delay
30/06/2010
Dr Michael Maguire has called for a change in the way justice organisations work in order to reduce the time it takes for an individual to pass through the criminal justice system. The Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice made the call following the publication of a major inspection report by CJI which looked at avoidable and unnecessary delays in the justice system. View report. View press release.
The report, which picked up where
CJI’s original 2006 inspection of avoidable delay left off - identified that current timescales were too long and needed improvement. Dr Maguire stated that delay, which occurred at each stage of the criminal justice process, had a negative impact on victims, witness and defendants and undermined their perception of the justice system. And he indicated that there were important issues identified in the inspection report which needed to be addressed immediately by the various justice organisation in order to improve performance.
“Criminal Justice Inspection recognised that delivering the required changes on the ground is a key challenge for the criminal justice system. I acknowledge and welcome the actions which have already commenced to deal with the issue of avoidable delay,” said Dr Maguire.
The Minister for Justice David Ford MLA has welcomed the publication of the report. A joint action plan has been developed in response to the findings of the CJI inspection. Copies of the action plan can be viewed or downloaded from the Department of Justice website –
www.dojni.gov.uk.