Written question asked by Sion Simon (Labour) on Wednesday, 23 January 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 29 January 2008. It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Tuesday, 29 January 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Community Justice Courts

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether there are plans to increase the numbers of community justice courts across the country.

Answer: The Government want to work towards making community justice the way in which local justice is provided in all our courts. Therefore, we have set up 13 community justice courts across England and Wales, one of which is in Birmingham, with a view to test the concept fully. The problem solving approach to tackling the causes of offending has shown promise in boosting community confidence in the Criminal Justice System and reducing re-offending.We are taking the lessons learned from these projects and will be working during 2008 to help the magistrates courts improve engagement and involvement with the communities they serve.

Secondary information