AC1.2 Relationships between the agencies of the CJS

Question 1

What are the police responsible for?

Answer 1

• Enforcing criminal law
• Investigate crimes
• collect evidence, detain, arrest and question suspects
• Issue fines, cautions or fixed penalty notices

Question 2

What the HM Prison Service responsible for?

Answer 2

• Supervising offenders in custody
• Attempt to rehabilitate offenders
• Responsible for 108/122 prisons in England and Wales

Question 3

What is the CPS responsible for?

Answer 3

• Deals with half a million cases a year in England and Wales
• Advises police in investigations
• Assess evidence police submit and decide whether to prosecute
• Prepare and present cases in court

Question 4

What is the HM Courts & Tribunals responsible for?

Answer 4

• Administration of courts and tribunals in England and Wales
• Create more effective/ less costly justice system
• Work with government departments to improve quality and timelines of decision making = reduces cases coming to court

Question 5

What is the Ministry of Justice reponsible for?

Answer 5

• Ensuring all suspected offenders are appropriately dealt with
• Responsible for courts, prisons, probation service, child & family courts, Legal Aid Agency etc.

Question 6

What is the NPS responsible for?

Answer 6

• Supervises offenders released into the community to protect the public
• Rehabilitation
• Sentence management in England and Wales
• Supervises offenders released on licence and those serving sentences

Question 7

What is the Sentencing Council responsible for?

Answer 7

• Develops sentencing guidelines

- Increase public understanding of sentencing

Question 8

Who do the police have relationships with?

Answer 8

• Courts = give evidence as prosecution witnesses, provide protection for vulnerable witnesses, hold defendants in police hells and transport them to and from court
• CPS = prove evidence for the prosecution of offenders, charge offenders in line with CPS instructions
• HM Prisons & Probation = arrest prisoners who have been recalled for breaching terms of license
• Voluntary organisations = referring victims/witnesses of crime to Victim Support, women’s refuges etc.

Question 9

Who do the CPS have relationships with?

Answer 9

• Police = advise on possible lines of enquiry and evidence collection, instruct on charging suspects
• Courts = prepare and present prosecution case in court, prepare appeals on unduly lenient sentences

Question 10

Who do the Ministry of Justice have relationships with?

Answer 10

• Courts, Prisons & Probation
• Police = responsible for setting national policing policies
• Government departments provide funding for the justice system (from taxes)

Question 11

Who do the HM Court & Tribunals have relationships with?

Answer 11

• Courts & Judges = supervising efficent running of court system, funding individual courts
• Prison = hold prisoners attending court, transfer/return to prison, arrange video recordings for prisoners to give evidence

Question 12

Who do the NPS have relationships with?

Answer 12

• Prison = supervise prisoners released on licence
• Courts = Prepare pre-sentencing reports on offenders, supervise offenders on community service sentences, supervise drug testing under court orders

Question 13

Who do the HM Prison Service have relationships with?

Answer 13

• Courts = carry out custodial sentences court imposed, supervise defendants remanded in custody, facilitate visits from defence lawyers to clients in prison
• Police = facilitate interviews with prisoners involved in ongoing police investigations
• NPS = liasing when prisoner is to be released from prison on licence