Lancashire Criminal Justice Board - Monthly Update

Review Day 31 January 2007

There was no Board meeting held in January 2007 although members held their annual LCJB Review Day on the 31.1.07. Some of the actions agreed on the day are shown below:

• Chair/Vice Chair - The Board appointed a new Chair, Robert Marshall, Chief Crown Prosecutor, Crown Prosecution Service, Lancashire and Vice Chair, Catherine Witt, County Youth Justice Services Manager, Lancashire Youth Offending Team with effect from 1 April 2007
• Performance Management to be reviewed to establish best mechanism for exploring performance issues beneath each Board target and the implications each target has for individual agencies
• LCJB/CDRP working relationships to be developed
• Health service issues to be addressed with Primary Care Trust Ch Execs to establish a clear agenda for health and LCJB interface
• Community engagement initiatives to be explored (i.e. You be the Judge voting event as run by GMP and community cohesion events to raise levels of public confidence)
• Public Confidence - Current performance based on September BCS survey findings shows disappointing results, with current performance standing at 39.8% against a 45% target. Impact of recent negative national media coverage was felt to have caused the most damage and positive local stories/public confidence raising issues are to be addressed with editors of local newspapers
• Staff Engagement Sub Group to be set up to address ways of raising awareness of criminal justice agency staff on the work of the Board and how they contribute to achieving Board targets.
• The key performance priorities for 2007/08 are:
• Implementation of CJSSS (Criminal Justice Simple, Speedy, Summary Justice)
  Community Penalty Breach Enforcement
  Licences Enforcement
  Public Confidence

LCJB Meeting 8.2.07

• Targets 2007-08
  The targets remain much unchanged with the exception of a new target for the number of restraint orders and one for the recall of high risk offenders
• CJS Business Plan 2007/08
  The CJS Business Plan has now been published and can be accessed via the CJS Online website. www.cjsonline.gov.uk The Plan is accompanied by a Project Guide to give an overview of the key delivery programmes that will assist in the delivery of the targets set for Boards
• CJSSS Roll Out
  A presentation was delivered to the Board in relation to the roll out of CJSSS in Lancashire following pilots being undertaken in a number of areas, including Cumbria. The aim of CJSSS is to improve the timeliness of cases dealt with in the Magistrates’ Courts. The majority of simple cases should take on average, from start to completion, between one day to six weeks as opposed to a current average of 21 plus weeks
• The Board has set up a strategic group to take this initiative forward with the intention to fully implement by 31.12.07. Youth cases are not being included at this stage