To What Extent Can Prosecution Agencies Contribute to Any Meaningful Sense of ‘Criminal Justice’?
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was established under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 ‘as the principal prosecuting agency’ in England and Wales that take over cases which the police had decided to prosecute. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 transferred most of the charging power from the police to CPS, giving the impression of a public service that counterbalance the increased police force while delivering justice by working independently of them. However, since the inception of CPS, there are mounting criticisms that it is bureaucratic, ineffective, working too close to the police. The main questions I will address in this paper are the use of discretionary power and the failure to fulfill its function as an independent body from the police. In addition, I will also assess the different approaches adopted by non-police organizations that conduct prosecutions. However, before I do so, it is necessary to observe that the concept of ‘criminal justice’ differs from person to person. A distinction must be drawn between procedural justice and justice in a socio-political context. Taking this into account I will use the different paradigms of criminal justice, from Herbert Packer’s due process and crime control models to victim’s standpoint, in order to gain a holistic view to see the extent of prosecution agencies achieving criminal justice in the England and Wales.
As the question suggests, there is no universal definition of ‘criminal justice’ exists. Different models are essentially different perspectives provided to assess criminal justice in terms of some general characteristics and principles. Understanding this, I will first look at what ‘justice’ is through the due process lens. Herbert Packer derived this model from the ideas inherent in rule of law which stresses the importance of formal structure of law and procedure safeguards (Packer, 1968: 2).
Three main values can be gleaned from the due process model. The first and arguably the most
As the question suggests, there is no universal definition of ‘criminal justice’ exists. Different models are essentially different perspectives provided to assess criminal justice in terms of some general characteristics and principles. Understanding this, I will first look at what ‘justice’ is through the due process lens. Herbert Packer derived this model from the ideas inherent in rule of law which stresses the importance of formal structure of law and procedure safeguards (Packer, 1968: 2).
Three main values can be gleaned from the due process model. The first and arguably the most
Bibliography: Ashworth A (1998), The Criminal Process, 2nd edition (Oxford: OUP) Baldwin R (1995), Regulation in question (London: LSE) BBC news (2012), Judicial Review Statistics: ‘How many cases are there and what are they about?’ (Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19008958 last accessed 20/04/2013) Choongh S (1998), Policing as Social Discipline (Oxford: Clarendon) Criminal Justice System (2002), Narrowing the Justice Gap (London: Home office) Crown Prosecution Service (2012), Annual Report and Accounts for the period April 2011 to March 2012 (London: Stationary Office) Coppen, J. (2008), 'PACE: A View from the Custody Suite ', (Oxford: OUP) Controller and Auditor General (2006), Crown Prosecution Service: Effective use of Magistrates’ courts hearings (London: National Audit Office) House of Commons Justice Committee (2009), The Crown Prosecution Service, gatekeeper of criminal justice system (London: Home Office) Hawkins K (2002), Law as Last Resort; Prosecution decision making in a regulatory agency (Oxford: OUP) Herbert L. (1968), Two models of Criminal Process (New York: Stanford University Press) Jackson J D (2004), The effect of legal culture and proof in decisions to prosecute Law, Probability and Risk Jackson J (2008), ‘Police and Prosecutors after PACE: The Road from Case Construction to Case Disposal’ (Oxford: Hart). King, D. (1999), In the Name of Liberalism: Illiberal Social Policy in the United States and Britain (Oxford: OUP) Lacey N McConville M. et al (1994), Standing Accused (Oxford: Clarendon Press) McConville et al (1991), The Case for prosecution (London: Routledge) Mulcahy A (1994), ‘The Justifications of Justice: Legal Practitioners’ Accounts of Negotiated Case Settlements in Magistrates’ Courts’ (Oxford: OUP) Rock P Roach K (1999), Due process and Victims’ Rights: New law and Politics of Justice (Toronto: University of Toronto Press) R v DPP ex p C (1995) 1 Crim App R 136 R v DPP ex p Manning (2001) QB 330 R v A (RJ) CA (2012) EWCA Crim 434 Sanders A, et al. (2010), Criminal Justice, 4th edition (Oxford: OUP) Senior P, et al Ward (1993) 1 WLR 619 Worcester News (2012), ‘Judge slams CPS for ‘wrong assault charge’ (Available at http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/9865046.Judge_slams_CPS_for____wrong____assault_charge/ last accessed 20/04/2013) Young, R