July - September

Criminal Justice Inspection has published its annual report and accounts for 2011-12 following its approval by the Comptroller and Auditor General  of the Northern Ireland Audit Office. View Report

The Department of Justice has launched a competition to appoint a new Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice for Northern Ireland.

A follow-up review by CJI has found progress within the PSNI over the last three years to embed the ethos of Policing with the Community (PWC) across the organisation.

On 23 August CJI Inspectors Tom McGonigle and Dr Ian Cameron met a delegation of 12 visitors on a study trip to London and Northern Ireland.
 
 

“While we acknowledge that work that has been undertaken by the justice agencies, and particular the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, the statistics relating to the number of warrants issued to police, the number of outstanding warrants and the number of fine defaulters being committed to prison remains significant.

“The benefits of early interventions have been well documented in terms of social, emotional, educational and financial outcomes. However, inspectors encountered a number of issues, including a limited overall strategy for justice agencies, a lack of co-ordination between Executive Departments, a cluttered landscape of provision leading to potential duplications and a lack of evaluation of outcomes,” said Acting Chief Inspector, Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland, Brendan McGuigan.

Justice Minister David For has appointed Brendan McGuigan as Acting Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland. View press release.

“Protection of the public must be at the forefront of any decision to release life sentence prisoners.  It is vital that they are subject to thorough assessment and testing before they can be considered for release as they have been convicted of the most serious offences,” said Deputy Chief Inspector, Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland, Brendan McGuigan.