19 June 2008
Louise Casey, former adviser on Respect, spent over an hour answering your questions on the Criminal Justice System in our live webchat.
Read the full transcript
Moderator says: Louise Casey, former adviser on the Respect agenda, is due to deliver the Casey Review to the Government on ways to improve the Criminal Justice System.
Louise will be available to take questions on topics such as community policing and community service in our live webchat on Thursday 19 June from 14:00 BST.
Moderator says: Welcome to today’s webchat.
Louise is running a few minutes late. We’ll get started as soon as she arrives.
Louise says: Hello it’s Louise Casey here ready to answer your questions on crime and justice!
Roland Bensted: What are the main alternatives to custodial sentences that you propose for low- level young offenders?
Louise replies: Hi Roland. This is a good question to be able to make clear that this review isn’t about young people specifically - there’s a Youth Crime Action plan due from the government about that shortly. However we do have some things to say about youth clubs being open on nights when they are really needed such as Fridays.
Eamonn McCusker: Some great ideas, but why not stop there. Let’s bring back public hangings; having the highest proportion in Western Europe of the population in prison isn’t good enough - we should aim for double that number, and when we’ve doubled the prison size, let’s lock away all sixteen year olds (just in case).
The hard ball approach just does not work - look at the countries which have low crime rates, such as Scandinavia. What are their characteristics? No huge gap between the haves and the have nots. Look at a country that has a high crime rate and prison population - USA. What are the their characteristics? Huge gap bewteen rich and poor. Stop following failed American policies. Stop pandering to the lies of the tabloid press. Crime is going down. Stop being populist. Introduce policies that YOU know will work.
Louise replies: Hello Eamonn - the key point for me is that the public have to have faith in the Criminal Justice System or they won’t get invloved when we need them to such as reporting crime, giving evidence in court etc. So you might say that is being ‘populist’ by taking their concerns into account, but given that they are the bedrock of that Criminal Justice System, then surely their voice and their views should be taken very seriously by the Governmment and the System?
On hard-ball - yes we think there should be consequences for those that break the law, but I have also funded parenting programmes and youth activities to try and prevent people from going down a criminal path in the first place.
Graham Madders: After a crime is committed, the public have no idea of the progress of investigations, unless called as a witness. This distances us from the process. Could not the police keep progress which is not confidential in a website, referenced by the crime reference number?
Louise replies: Graham - the public told us this time and again during our review - that people people should be kept better informed by the police and Criminal Justice System. Good idea on the crime ref thing -I’ll keep that in mind.
Paul O’Hare: As a dissilusioned serving Police Oficer when will the government scrap the rediculous figures we have to reach in order to provide a worthwhile service to the tax paying public ?
Louise replies: Yes we looked at this in the review (see proposals 29 and 30) but I have to say that I think we are pushing at an open door on this with the Home Secretary - she strongly wants this sorting out and fast.
martin alderman: Louise
It’s one thing to seek greater visibility on people fulfilling unpaid work as part of their community punishment. But what you do not mention is the fact that many people convicted of a crime and sentenced to a community order only have to be on some form of disibility benefit, a drug user or be merely un-cooperative or aggressive in their behaviour to avoid an unpaid work requirement.
If an offender displays any of these traits they will be offered a drug rehab or anger management programme. If they have a disability they will probably be offered merely a supervision order, a series of meeting to discuss general standards of behaviour. All of these programmes have their place and usefulness, but none really meets the “punishment” element the public needs to see in response to a convicted crime.
Why does unpaid work have to mean some physical application, there must be other forms of unpaid work that require the application of someone’s time rather than brain or brawn. This would not mean that offenders could not fulfil supervision or other programme requirements to reduce offending alongside the punishment element of a sentence.
Regards
Martin Alderman
Louise replies: Martin - thanks for your comments. As I point out in the review, all community payback should be demanding and something that the public don’t want to have to do themselves.
This might not always have to be physical but the principle for the public during the review was that offenders must pay back to the community in some way for their crimes. And I think that’s just and fair.
J Woods: Do you consider your proposal to publish crime ‘maps’ might encourage criminals to switch their attention to lower-crime areas which are more likely to be soft targets?
Louise replies: It’s an interesting point but I think that unfortunately it’s poor areas that suffer most from crime now and it will be poor areas that continue to suffer (and where we need to take most action and offer most help in fighting crime) - regardless of whether there are crime maps or not.
debbie whelan: 4 weeks ago my house was targeted with a firebomb , my vehicle that we use to transport disabled people from hospita; and homes etc was firebombed , my car parked on the drive was smashed up - the people that done this live in my street and to date have not been questioned about this - i have become a prisoner in my own home while these people sit outside taunting and teasing me - yes we do have police driving up and down the street now - but due to these people not being questioned they are laughing at the justice system - 20 times they have been to court and always been thrown out on a technicality - all previous crimes should be mentioned everytime someone is in court - and the police to date i still havent given a statement , i do not get any feed back at all - seems to me they really dont care - they have to begin to care to understand what victims like me are going through , my life is now ruined , i cant work , cant have my grandaughter stay anymore , we have to park the vehicles miles away in a secure location - why cause the justice system does favour these people that done over me and my family
Louise replies: Debbie - that sounds truly awful. Why don’t you write to me with some details at the Home Office and I can take a close look at this and see if I can help? I’m really sorry about what you’re going through.
Police Sergeant: Louise, firstly I have to say that having read your recommendations I am grinning from ear to ear. You have hit the nail right on the head, with some of the most obvious issues which have been screaming out for attention for years.
I supervise a Neighbourhood Policing Team including PCSOs. Our Chief Constable has decided that PCSOs in my Force will have no PND powers what so ever. This approach is selling both the public and our PCSOs short - we expect them to do a job but will not give them the powers to do it. What pressure can be brought to bear so that we equip our staff with the powers they need to do the job?
Louise replies: I wholeheartedly understand your frustration! What Chief Constables need to understand is that by not sorting out properly what powers and what role PCSOs have they are undermining the public’s confidence in them - that is such a shame. It came through strongly in the review that particularly people who’d had contact with PCSOs were highly impressed with them - it would be such a shame to waste that good will.
jacqui: have you spoken to anyone working in youth justice i am based in a youth offending service but am employed by victim support, to contact the victims of young offenders, i am constantly trying to get victims some direct reparation from offenders but am always being told about the young persons human rights and health and safety i would love to meet with louise for a chat please take me up on the offer!!
Louise replies: Jacqui - I agree that we need to take a more common sense approach to this and not hide behind human rights and health and safety! Happy to take you up on the offer of a chat - why not write to me at the Home Office with your details?
nick green: Lousie - there appears to be some inherant contradictions here - on the one hand askinfg for a locally driven service, respondingto local needs contrasting to a desire to see a national approach - e.g uniforms, titles etc. In particualr why do PCSO’s need to have the power to detain in every area? In our policing area we believe a huge amount of the good work and reassurance that they have achieved is because they are diffferent and distinct. More powers means more time away from patrol means less engagement etc etc.
Louise replies: Nick - what the review says the public want is a similar type of service from the police in any area of the country - not dependent on their postcode much the same as you do with the NHS in terms of access to a GP, hospital etc. A national service, but locally driven - which I think will do a great deal to improve the public’s confidence, when they know what they can expect from their police. On PCSO powers, we want them to remain distinct from police officers as we recognise that it is this distinctness that helps them work well with local communities - but at the moment it’s confusing to the public not knowing what they can expect a PCSO to do.
Max James: I would like to know how the review is looking at implementing an independent voice for the community. Who will be overseeing the selection of such representatives and what will be their requirements and actual effectiveness?
regards,
Max James
Louise replies: Hi Max. My review gives a set of common-sense proposals about what might make things better but unfortunately I’m not completely in charge of making them all happen!
On the independent voice, it is the principle for me that the police, the courts, everyone involved in fighting crime stops and thinks about the vicitms and the wider public and that there is a strong independent voice that can help make this happen, much as there is a strong voice that rightly lobbys for the rights and needs of offenders. I hope that they take this forward.
steve ligertwood: Why do we jail so many people?
Louise replies: I suppose because unfortunately people commit crime and taking people’s freedom from them is a just pubnishment in many cases.
Tyron: Do you believe we should be operating zero tolerance with Criminals. And do you believe they should have rights?
Louise replies: Tyron - yes I do believe that criminals should have rights. But I also believe that the rights of victims and the law abiding public should not always be put second.
vincent: most anti social behavior happens in the evening/hight time so do we not have the police/pcso officers on the estate streets at these times instead of the walking around in the mornings?
Louise replies: Vincent - this does seem like common sense to me. If you don’t think this is happening iny our local area I think you should take it up with your Neighbourhood Policing team who you should be able to get hold of on the Neighbourhood Policing Programme website.
Marsha Garratt: I work for the youth service in the North East of England in one of the most deprived wards in the country. Crime and anti social behaviour are an issue and the youth service works with other agencies to reduce it. A major problem for us is that we can plan challenging and innovative activites and youth work programs with the young people, but as a statutory body it is difficult to apply for funding to carry these projects out. In your report funding ‘kitties’ were mentioned does this mean that centres like mine will be able to access funds for essential youth programs more easily?
Louise replies: Marsha - I know from my own work in the Voluntary Sector that getting long term core funding can be a problem and that the kinds of services that you offer are invaluable. The Government’s Youth Task Force action plan did announce more money but also the need for Local Authorities to make sure that there are properly funder youth facilities open particulalrly in deprived areas. You can find out more on the DCSF website.
Sue Hudson: The simplest thing would be to have more police walking about, and not being tied up with paperwork. Surely, a visible police presence is a deterrant?
Louise replies: I agree that the visible presence of the police is really important for the public - that’s why I really back Neighbourhood Polcing kicking in across the country in the next couple of years, which will mean dedicated police offers who know your local area out on the beat.
On red tape - I think I said in a previous answer that I know that it’s a top priority for the Home Secretary to sort it out (but sometimes it’s the higher echelons of the police service itself that can inflict an amount of red tape on officers!).
Amy Davies: You advise to give extra powers to Police Community Support Officers.
Question: Why don’t you just have more Police?
Louise replies: I’m not advocating that PCSOs get more powers - but that they all get to use the ones that the government has put on offer (at the moment its up to individual Chief Constables to decide which ones they get to use which I think is confusing for the public).
I think that PCSOs are a really valuable addition to the police service and undertake a different but complimentary role to police constables in really getting to know their local communities. It shouldn’t be one or the other - I think we’re lucky to have both.
Gill C: Hi Louise
I was interested to read that you are proposing to grant automatic anonymity to older victims/witnesses of crime.
Are you able to say more about this and how it differs from existing special measures available to older and vulnerable people? And does automatic mean that people still have to ask for anonymity or would it be offered automatically too? Thanks!
Louise replies: Hi Gill - yes I think it’s really important that older and vulnerable people get anonymity. When I was out and about looking at this for the review I heard of a case where an 82 year old man was being terrified by a 14 year old boy who was sticking firworks through his letterbox - but it would be only the 14 year old currently who would get any protection from the system in court. I think that’s wrong.
What I’m proposing is that the 82 year old would automatically be offered anonymity - at the moment it’s not automatic. But it’s up to the judge and the Ministry of Justice to decide whether this will happen or not.
paul mason: Hi Louise - how does your punitive approach relate to Ed Balls’ more welfare approach?
Louise replies: It’s two sides of the same coin - we both want to prevent people becoming criminals in the first place, we want to give them a chance to turn their back on crime if they do become criminals, but we also want law breakers to face a tough consequence.
Louise says: Thanks for all your great comments and questions. Hope to be back soon!
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