Scheme benefits bereaved families
Tuesday, 02 December, 2008
A pilot scheme giving families of murder victims' a chance to tell the court how the death has affected them has proven to be a success, according to research published by the Ministry of Justice.
The Victims' Advocates Pilot evaluation measured the success of the new initiative to allow victims' families to have an impact statement to be read out in court. The publication marks the one-year anniversary of the decision to extend the key elements of the pilots nationally under the Victim Focus Scheme.
The Victims' Advocate Pilots enable a meeting to take place between the prosecutor and the victims' family, pre-trial, to explain the processes and assist in making a Victim Personal
Statement. These statements include the impact the crime committed had on the victim's family. The evaluation report found that families welcomed it as an opportunity to have their voice heard in court and felt a sense of positive and active involvement in the trial.
Commenting on the report, Justice Minister Maria Eagle said, "By giving bereaved families the chance to make a statement about the impact of violent crime on their lives we are strengthening their voice and making criminals fully realise the consequences of their actions.
The initiative underlines the Government's determination to put the needs of victims' at the heart of the criminal justice service." Since October 2007 the Crown Prosecution Service's
Victim Focus Scheme has been open to families of murder or manslaughter victims' and those killed as a result of dangerous driving, careless driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs, careless driving and driving while unlicensed, uninsured or disqualified where cases are heard in the crown court.
The evaluation report notes that families reported that the pre-trial meeting made the criminal justice system more accessible and easier to understand, which they found comforting during a difficult period of bereavement and the subsequent criminal proceedings.
The scheme was piloted in Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Manchester and Winchester
crown courts from April 2006 to April 2008.
