Key Facts

• Campbell Robb is chief executive of NACRO.
• Helen Berresford is director of external engagement at NACRO.
• Sam Doohan works as a policy officer at Unlock.
• The Bill aims to reduce the burden on individuals and employers navigating a complex system.
• Employers struggle to understand and navigate current disclosure rules, leading to risk aversion when hiring those with criminal records.
• Motoring convictions are often used disproportionately against job applicants irrelevant to driving-based roles.
• Charities play a central role in preventing and addressing youth offending.
• Local and national charities should work alongside the new probation service.
• The focus is on education, training, apprenticeships, and wraparound support.
• Concerns raised about the two-tier system of cautions, including the disclosure period.
• Conditional cautions require a more in-depth process of paperwork, making forces hesitant to use them.
• Disadvantaged communities are disproportionately likely to be affected by strict measures within the criminal justice system.
• The statement emphasizes the need to build judicial confidence in problem-solving courts.
• Engagement from the local population is crucial for credibility.
• Community sentence treatment requirements (CSTRs) are highlighted as a positive approach.
• CSTRs aim to address underlying causes of offending, such as mental health and substance abuse.
• Charles Walker introduces Dame Vera Baird for a session.
• Robert Goodwill asks about improving victims’ confidence in the criminal justice system, especially concerning rape cases.
• Clause 36 aims to grant statutory power for the police to take phones from victims voluntarily.
• A Rape Crisis survey shows that digital device trawling is routine in rape cases.
• A pilot project funded by the Home Office found that about 50% of requests for digital download were unnecessary or disproportionate.
• The Information Commissioner's report highlighted non-compliance with data protection legislation regarding digital downloads.
• Dame Vera Baird is the national lead on victims for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.
• RoadPeace research shows that victims are not strongly supportive of increased sentences for driving offences.
• Victims should have automatic rights to submit evidence during parole hearings.
• Section 28 enables vulnerable witnesses to pre-record their evidence before trial.
• Victims are broadly supportive of procedural justice and being treated with decency.
• There is concern that stronger penalties may deter prosecutions or juries from convicting.
• Victims suggest using driving bans more effectively instead of custodial sentencing.
• The survey last year showed that victims feel deterred from proceeding with complaints due to intrusive demands by police.
• In the Northumbria pilot, automatic legal advice was highly successful in protecting victims' rights.
• The Crown Prosecution Service currently prosecutes around 1,700 rape cases a year compared to 3,500 prior to 2016-17.
• Victims need professional support such as independent sexual violence advisers.
• The test of relevance under clause 36(5)(a) is criticised by Dame Vera Baird.
• She advocates for a reasonable line of inquiry standard similar to the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act (CPIA).
• A statutory code of practice accompanying the Bill is mentioned, but its enforceability is questioned.
• The Chair, Charles Walker, adjourned the Committee without putting a Question (Standing Order No. 88).
• The Committee is set to reconvene on the same day at Two o’clock.
• The discussion was part of the Public Bill Committee for the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.