Aspiring district judges could have to win the endorsement of local community figures to secure appointment, under new proposals unveiled by the government today (29 April).

The Ministry of Justice wants communities to work with the Judicial Appointments Commission in the ‘selection and deployment’ of district judges, in order to ‘lift the veil on how judges are selected and provide more transparency to the public.’ The MoJ is to consult on the plans.

The MoJ also announced it will introduce ‘community prosecutors’ to ‘ensure that local priorities inform casework decision-making’, as part of a package of 30 measures. Community prosecutors will engage with communities alongside the police, courts and others.

Attorney general Baroness Scotland said community prosecutors will make the Crown Prosecution Service ‘more visible to, and better understood by, their local communities’.

‘Prosecutors are increasingly engaged with the people they serve, routinely engaging with victims and witnesses in person, and explaining decisions to communities and the wider public,’ she said. ‘Community prosecutors will enhance our ability to respond to local needs and circumstances, with local prosecution teams informed about matters of local concern, understanding the communities they serve and building strong links with people from surrounding neighbourhoods.’

The package of 30 measures also includes:

  • Community impact statements, which will give communities the chance to feed in their views on crimes in their area and the impact they have on local people. The statements, which are normally collated by the police, will be used by all facets of the criminal justice system such as prosecution, probation and courts.
  • Extending the use of citizens’ panels, to give local people more say in how offenders on community payback schemes repay the community for their crimes through tough projects.
  • Establishing ‘virtual community justice teams’ to tackle reoffending, by identifying and offering tailored rehabilitation, such as drug assistance programmes.

The government will also consult on:Justice secretary Jack Straw said: ‘I want people to have full confidence in the justice system. An important part of this is ensuring that justice is done and seen to be done.’

  • Establishing a new adult restorative justice strategy. Restorative justice has been used by police to confront young offenders with the consequences of their actions, ensure they are able to make amends to their victims and help them to develop a sense of personal responsibility.
  • Adopting community justice problem-solving techniques in all magistrates’ courts. This seeks to address issues at the root of certain types of offending – such as drug abuse – and so tackle the cycle of re-offending by giving magistrates the tools and techniques needed to put in place a specialist approach to rehabilitating such offenders.
  • Creating a system of ‘hallmarks’ for magistrates’ courts entitled ‘Justice in the Community’ – repositioning magistrates’ courts to reinforce their purpose in delivering justice for and within local communities.
  • Increasing volunteering in criminal justice services through increased promotion of opportunities through the local criminal justice boards.

A summary of the green paper and a link to the full green paper can be found at http://consultations.cjsonline.gov.uk/Default.aspx?conid=1. The consultation will run until 31 July 2009.