Council to hear call for Community Justice

1.54.15pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 1st Jun 2006

Cllr Bob McCann, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet member for Safer Neighbourhoods.

Sheffield's Liberal Democrats are setting forward a bold new plan to deal with the growing problem of anti-social behaviour in Sheffield. They will bring a proposal to the 7th June Council meeting directing that Sheffield be put forward to pilot a community court to pioneer a new form of justice.

A 'Community Justice Centre' (CJC) is a court situated at the heart of a community. It has a single judge and allows local people to have their say in how justice gets done locally. The centre combines the power of a courtroom with a range of community resources available to local residents including victims, witnesses and offenders.

CJC's deal with anti-social behaviour and cases involving crimes committed in the community that affect quality of life for local people, such as vandalism and graffiti. The Judge has a range of powers and can sentence offenders in a way that benefits the community, although he can also issue custodial sentences.

The Judge meets with local residents who tell which crimes are making their lives a misery and what they think needs to be done about it. There is also a teenagers advisory group, made up of young offenders and local schoolchildren, designed to help the judge get into the minds of teenagers who commit crime.

The new scheme is inspired by a project in one of New York's toughest neighbourhoods and is supported by the Government and the Liberal Democrats. A CJC is already being piloted in Liverpool and has been successful in cutting crime locally.

Lib Dems believe that punishment for community crime should be designed to benefit the community it affects. They also believe that local people feel isolated from the current legal process and that this scheme would help put justice right at the heart of the community.

Councillor Bob McCann, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet for Safer Neighbourhoods, said: -

"Its clear that crime committed in the community affects the quality of life for local people and is a big issue. This new brand of community justice would re-address the balance and see offenders repay their debt to society in a way supported by local people. Its about putting justice at the heart of communities"

"Having a single judge supported by numerous services means that there is a relationship built up between the offenders and the authorities. It allows the progress of offenders to be closely monitored and improves the ability to tackle issues that cause offenders to commit crime. CJC's also have services that are there to support victims"

"We have seen that the scheme is working well in Liverpool. Liberal Democrats believe that this is exactly the sort of restorative justice that can be effective in Sheffield, making our neighbourhoods a better place to live. I hope that all parties on the Council can get behind us and back our campaign for a Community Justice Centre in Sheffield"

See a copy of the motion to be moved at the 7th June Council below: -

NoM moved by Cllr Bob McCann seconded by Cllr Paul Scriven

That this Council: -

(a) believes that crime and the fear of crime are among the most important issues facing communities today;

(b) believes that local people in Sheffield consider that crime and the fear of crime has been a growing problem for the last decade despite extensive Government legislation;

(c) believes that crimes that affect the quality of life of local people, such as vandalism and anti-social behaviour, are best dealt with through a system of restorative justice which;

(1) brings victims, offenders, and communities together giving local people more say on the reparations to be made by offenders;

(2) puts victims' needs at the centre of the criminal justice system and;

(3) finds positive solutions to crime by encouraging offenders to take responsibility for their actions;

(d) notes that a restorative justice pilot scheme is running very successfully in the form of the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre and is bringing justice to the heart of the community, combining a courtroom with a range of community resources available to local people, victims and witnesses, as well as offenders; and

(e) calls upon the Chief Executive to make representation to the Home Secretary requesting that Sheffield be included in any further round of Community Justice Centre pilots;

(f) undertakes to write to every Sheffield MP to inform them of this motion and to urge them to lobby the Home Secretary on this issue on Sheffield's behalf.