Consultation on Improving the Victims’ Code

Closed 28 May 2020

Opened 5 Mar 2020

Contact

Victim and Witness Policy Team

Victims.Consultation@justice.gov.uk

Results updated 18 Nov 2020

Coronavirus has presented government with unprecedented and unique challenges. But throughout this time, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to ensure that victims and witnesses continue to receive the support they need.

Part of this commitment has been to continue working towards our vision for a Victims’ Code that better meets the needs of victims and ensures that the right support is available at the right time.

We know that many people are still not aware of the Code, and that those who are find it difficult to understand what it means for them. For these reasons we have focused our efforts on a number of key areas: accessibility and raising awareness; providing clearer information on victims’ rights to access practical and emotional support; strengthening communication and taking account of the victim’s preferences; and increasing the voice of the victim through providing more flexibility in the Victim Personal Statement process.

These changes mean that when the new Code comes into force it will be based around a clearly defined set of rights that are both easy for victims to understand and which clearly set out the minimum level of service they can expect from criminal justice agencies. This will help to ensure that the experience of victims within the justice system improves and will form the basis of our forthcoming Victims’ Law, which will seek to guarantee these rights.

We received a total of 315 responses to our second consultation from a range of organisations and individuals. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all those who took the time to send us their thoughts and to assure you that we have carefully considered them. As a result, we are proceeding as planned with the main changes we outlined in our first consultation, as well as making some smaller revisions based on the views we received.

We believe that these changes will deliver a Victims’ Code that will build both victim confidence and trust in the system, as well as address the longstanding issues around complexity and accessibility.

Alex Chalk

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

Files:

Overview

As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, this consultation has been extended and will now run until 28 May 2020.

Being a victim of crime can be life-changing, and how people are treated within the justice system can make a huge difference to their ability to cope and recover. As Victims’ Minister I believe it is crucial that victims receive the help and support they need, but this should not be at the expense of them being treated with respect and sensitivity. 

Following a commitment made in the first-ever cross-government Victims’ Strategy, our initial consultation held last year clearly set out our vision for a Victims’ Code (the Code) designed to build both victim confidence and trust in the system. The consultation was aimed at addressing the complexity and accessibility issues with the current Code, updating the entitlements to better meet victims needs and ensuring that the right support is available at the right time. Our latest proposals seek to build on this by changing the structure of the existing Code so it becomes a clearly defined set of rights, that are easy for victims to understand and which set out the minimum level of service they can expect from criminal justice agencies. 

Following extensive stakeholder engagement with victims and victims’ groups, our proposals focused on a number of key areas: raising awareness and accessibility; providing clearer information on victims’ rights to access practical and emotional support; strengthening communication and taking account of the victim’s preferences; and increasing the voice of the victim through providing more flexibility in the Victim Personal Statement process. 

We received a total of 231 responses to our first consultation, from a range of organisations and individuals. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who took the time to send us their thoughts and to assure you that we have carefully considered them. In-line with our statutory obligations we are now undertaking this second consultation, which includes a draft revised version of the Code.

We look forward to hearing what you have to say and gauging your views on the changes we are proposing. We want the revised Code to pave the way for a Victims’ Law that will guarantee victims their rights, as well as clearly set out the level of support victims should receive through the criminal justice process.

 

Alex Chalk

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

Audiences

  • Voluntary organisations
  • Victims
  • Voluntary organisations
  • Legal professionals
  • Judiciary

Interests

  • Criminal justice
  • Family justice