The Criminal Justice System Targets

The overall AIM of the Criminal Justice System is:

Reduce crime and fear of crime and their social and economic costs and dispense justice fairly and efficiently and to promote confidence in the rule of law.

The CJS Vision for criminal justice in 2008, which is set out in the Strategic Plan for Criminal Justice is:

• The public will have confidence that the Criminal Justice System is effective and that it serves all communities fairly;
• Victims and Witnesses will receive a consistent high standard of service from all criminal justice agencies;
• We will bring more offences to justice through a more modern and efficient justice process;
• Rigorous enforcement will revolutionise compliance with sentences and orders of the court;
• Criminal justice will be a joined up, modern and well run service, and an excellent place  for people to work.

The Public Service Agreement (PSA) Targets support the CJS Vision and the overall Aim. They are;

• To improve the delivery of justice by increasing the number of crimes for which an offender is brought to justice to 1.25 million by 2007-08; and
• To reassure the public, reducing the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour, and building confidence in the Criminal Justice System without compromising fairness.
• There is a third CJS PSA which does not apply to CPS but is relevant to our work. This one is for the Police and Crime and Disorder Partnerships and it is to reduce crime by 15%, and further in high crime areas, by 2007-08.

The CPS has to ensure that it delivers against the PSA targets (because we are funded on the basis that we will deliver against these targets) and in doing so doing support the CJS Vision