Victims & Witnesses

No Witness, No Justice - putting victims & witnesses at the heart of the system

No Witness No Justice is part of the governments ongoing programme to transform the experience of prosecution victims and witnesses of crime and to reduce the number of trials that collapse at court.

Figures show that in 2002/2003 15% of all cracked and ineffective trials nationally were due to witness problems. Of those trials, only 19% of those witnesses felt they had been kept properly informed in their case. Although 28% of victims want some form of help, only 13% say they received support

By giving victims and witnesses better support throughout the criminal justice process, the scheme aims to reduce the number of cases that have to be dropped because of problems with witnesses.

Partnership Working

To do this, dedicated local Witness Care Units have been set up which bring police, the Crown Prosecution Service and Witness service together for the first time to work in partnership to meet the needs of victims and witnesses.

Witness Care Units will introduce a range of measures to provide practical help and moral support to victims and witnesses.

By focusing on the specific needs of individuals, the No Witness, No Justice project aims to improve the confidence and satisfaction victims and witnesses feel, while at the same time bringing benefits for the criminal justice system as a whole as fewer trials are derailed because of witness difficulties.

The No Witness, No Justice project is being delivered as part of a wider programme to bring about improvements to the criminal justice system from arrest to sentencing.