If you are a victim of crime, what rights should you have?

That is just one of the questions facing a new all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for victims and witnesses of crime.

The group, which will include MPs and peers from every major political party, will launch in the houses of parliament on 20 June.

The APPG, for which Victim Support is the secretariat, will be a forum for parliamentarians to discuss issues that affect victims and witnesses.

By bringing together MPs and peers from across the political spectrum, the APPG will help put victims’ issues on the map, and hopefully build a broad coalition of support for positive policy change and discussion.

Victim and witness issues have achieved greater prominence over recent years, but the question of their rights remains contentious.

To practitioners of criminal law, the concept of Regina v the defendant is one of complete familiarity.

Steeped in centuries of tradition, our legal system operates on the basis that all crimes are committed not against the individual victim, but against the state, and the state itself takes responsibility for prosecutions.

But victims’ interests are not always the same as those of the prosecution in criminal cases.

For example, defendants will often plead guilty to a different, less serious charge (such as pleading guilty to ABH when the charge is GBH).

Prosecutors often accept such pleas – it guarantees a conviction and saves the time and cost associated with a trial.

But the victim, the one person who has been most affected, can be left deeply dissatisfied with the idea of the defendant ‘getting away’ with a lesser charge.

While prosecutors should take victims’ views into account, the Code for Crown Prosecutors is clear – ultimately, the decision rests with the prosecutor.

Victims can struggle to understand that the prosecutor is not in fact ‘their’ barrister, and might not always do what they want or act in their interests.

Although the CPS and other criminal justice agencies have taken huge steps forward in recent years, the system can still disenfranchise victims, and marginalise them from key decisions.

Having their say

Even when cases go to trial, victims can find it difficult to be heard.

Although court can be nerve-wracking for victims giving evidence, some welcome the chance to have their say.

Many are surprised and disappointed to find that they actually have few opportunities to describe how they have been affected by the crime.

Courts can listen intently to how hard a blow was to decide on the seriousness of an assault, but they do not routinely take into account the impact a crime may have had on a victim’s life.

Victim personal statements (VPSs) are one way for victims’ voices to be heard in court.

These give victims a chance to say how a crime has affected them emotionally, financially and behaviourally.

They also enable victims to cut through the legal jargon and tell the court, in their own words, what the crime meant to them.

Unfortunately, VPSs are rarely used.

Victim Support’s own research shows that only 16% of victims recall being invited to make a VPS and felt that their views were taken into account when they did.

We hope the APPG will address this.

As well as tackling high-level issues, we hope the APPG will also be a forum for debating the practical and emotional support needs of victims and witnesses.

Becoming a victim of crime can have severe and long-lasting consequences.

One in five victims say they need some form of support after a crime – and even more for victims of serious crime.

We know that, with help, victims can find the strength to move on from crime.

But it is vital that they are offered free and confidential support early, so that their needs can be addressed from the start.

Victim Support gives emotional support and practical help to over a million victims and over 250,000 witnesses a year.

The new APPG is a vital opportunity to raise the profile of victim and witness issues, and make sure that they have the stake they deserve in the criminal justice system.

Javed Khan is chief executive of Victim Support