November 21, 2005: New Justice Inspectorate Planned

A plan to create a new organisation to inspect and review standards across the whole of the criminal justice system has been published today. The document is titled Establishing an Inspectorate for Justice, Community Safety and Custody.

The new single inspectorate for 'justice, community safety and custody’ will streamline the current inspection arrangements so that staff can deliver better services to the public. It will also create a storehouse of expertise, drawing on the experience of the five current justice inspectorates of Constabulary; the Crown Prosecution Service; Magistrates’ Courts Service; Prisons and the Probation Service.

Home Office Minister Fiona Mactaggart said:

"The blueprint published today offers a unique opportunity to create an inspection regime that covers the criminal justice process from end to end - to make sure we provide a rigorous improved system for all those who come into contact with it."

Independent inspectorates which measure and report on standards in the justice system play an essential role in helping improve services. They also hold organisations to account for standards of service and treatment of individuals.

In recent years the criminal justice system has undergone reform to deliver improvements to public services and to help reduce crime and re-offending. The government argues that the introduction of this new inspectorate means that:

"these improvements in services will be effectively reviewed and inspected, ensuring the public can have confidence in a better, more effective justice system".