WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
Want to take the issue further? Here are a range of ways you can get involved.
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 More details on these opportunities, and many more ways in which you can be involved, can be found in What Can I Do? - a companion to this website. It offers a thorough overview of the opportunities for members of the public to be involved in criminal justice, as well as providing a comprehensive list of resources. |
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Spread the word
Get involved
Your organisation or business may benefit from using an offender on Community Service. Contact your local probation office for more information.
Magistrates are members of the local community who oversee certain court cases. They have no formal legal qualifications, but are unpaid members of the public. Over 95% of all criminal cases are dealt with by magistrates, and they also decide on many civil matters such as dealing with family matters, or enforcing payments of fines. According to the Magistrates' Association, the qualities needed are 'intelligence, common sense, integrity and the capacity to act fairly'. Magistrates are carefully trained and supervised and they are required to 'sit' for at least 26 half days each year. They normally sit as part of a bench of three magistrates.
Boards of Visitors are made up of a cross-section of members of the public who work within individual prisons, performing a 'watchdog' role to ensure that prisoners are treated fairly. Members have 24 hour access to the prison, keys to every door and are in the prison several times a week. Inmates can approach them informally and talk to them in confidence. The Home Secretary receives annual reports from the Board of Visitors on the state of prison premises, the administration and the treatment of prisoners.
Youth Offender Panels are a new way of dealing with young people who commit crime. Panels consists of two volunteers recruited directly from the local community, alongside one member of the Youth Offending Team (YOT). Members of the panel will talk with the offender, their parents or guardians and - where possible - the victims, and will agree a tailor-made package aimed at repairing the harm done and preventing further offending. Panel members are unpaid volunteers, and, according to the Home Office, 'It makes no difference where you come from or what you do, as long you are over 18 years old and are willing to make a difference in your community'. Around 5000 volunteers will be needed for the scheme.
Panels undertake campaigns aimed at tackling specific areas of crime which blight a local neighbourhood; these might include any number of offences from car theft and street robbery to burglary and criminal damage. A panel usually consists of approximately 15 to 20 people who should represent the local community and be in touch with the needs, aims and fears of different groups within that community. Panels meet regularly (usually monthly) to discuss problems of crime that affect their area, and examine possible solutions. Panel members can also make use of Home Office supplied resources to help them raise awareness.
Victim Support is the national charity which helps victims of crime. This might include visiting victims in their homes in an attempt to help them cope with the after effects of the crime or supporting them through the distress and fear of the court process. The principle use of volunteers is in providing local support services to victims of crime, but Victim Support are also developing a network of Witness Support services to cover both crown and magistrates courts and giving information and support to victims and witnesses attending trials. All volunteers are given training before they help victims, with further, specialised training available for those volunteers who wish to work with people who have suffered serious crimes like women victims of sexual violence and families of murder victims.
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