Criminal justice reform: At-a-glance

"End-to-end" revamp of system says Blunkett

Here are the main points of the Home Secretary David Blunkett's White Paper on reform of the criminal justice system.

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Trials

• Reveal defendants' previous convictions "where relevant"
• Scrap double jeopardy so that "in grave cases where compelling new evidence has come to light, an acquitted defendant can be tried for a second time for the same offence"
• Bring crown courts and magistrates' courts together under a unified administration
• Increase magistrates sentencing powers from six to 12 months
• Introduce trial without jury in serious fraud cases where there is a risk of jury intimidation
• Strengthen youth courts to deal with young offenders accused of serious crimes
• Provide more incentives for early guilty pleas to save court time
• Make "hearsay" evidence admissible

Victims

• A national strategy for victims and witnesses to be published later this year
• A new Independent Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses supported by a National Victims Advisory Panel
• More measures for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses including pre-recorded video evidence and screens around the witness box
• Volunteers to accompany victims when giving statements
• Extend support to victims of road traffic incidents and their families
• Measures to improve preparation of cases against defendants, including closer working between the police and CPS
• Force defence lawyers to reveal their case in advance, as the prosecution is already required to do

Sentencing

• A new graded framework to tailor sentences to the offender and the offence
• Creating "intermittent" jail terms where offenders are only locked up overnight or at weekends, allowing the offender to continue working and maintain family ties
• Developing "custody plus" schemes where offenders serve a short prison sentence - between 14 days and three months - followed by a community work of at least six months
• The power to lock up dangerous, sexual or violent offenders indefinitely, even if they do not have a life sentence
• Releasing young offenders locked up for serious offences at halfway point of the sentence and supervised until the end of sentence

Punishment and rehabilitation

• Greater flexibility to probation officers to drug test offenders on release from custody
• Pilot the "Going Straight" contract, a new rehabilitation programme for 18-20 year olds including reparation to victims and incentives to participate
• Review reception and release procedures for all prisoners to ensure departing prisoners have the appropriate help to resettle
• Modernise prisons to increase capacity, build new "multi-functional community prisons", close unfit prisons
• Shut down or contract out prisons which do not meet tough new standards

Public involvement

• Improve communication between criminal justice agencies and the public
• Continue to implement the findings of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry in order to reduce racism in the system
• Clampdown on middle-class professionals who try to avoid jury service for work reasons

• Make sure juries reflect all sections of society and are better supported
• Raise the profile of magistrates and encourage more people to apply from as wide a cross-section of the community as possible
• Increase restorative justice schemes, where criminals are made to face their victims

Fighting and reducing crime

• Extend the range of restraining orders
• Provide anonymity for victims of domestic violence
• Improve liaison between the civil and criminal courts and the family and criminal courts
• More help for drug-addicted offenders
• Extend drug testing provisions to the under 18s

Other changes

• £600m investment in information technology
• Set up 42 local Criminal Justice Boards reporting to a new national Criminal Justice Board
• Streamline court service management into one body
• Establish a new independent courts inspectorate with jurisdiction over the administration of crown courts