Experiences Of The Criminal Justice System — The Latest From Victims And Witnesses Of Crime

The MORI Social Research Institute on behalf of the Audit Commission has just completed research examining the expectations and experiences of victims and witnesses of crime through the Criminal Justice System, from initial reporting of crime and anti-social behaviour to sentencing and post-sentence support.

The MORI Social Research Institute on behalf of the Audit Commission has just completed research examining the expectations and experiences of victims and witnesses of crime through the Criminal Justice System, from initial reporting of crime and anti-social behaviour to sentencing and post-sentence support.

More specifically, areas covered by this research include: reporting and reasons for non-reporting of crime; initial incident handling by police services; notification to attend court; expectations of court and pre-case support; court experience; and post-sentence support.

A key issue addressed in the research is the impact of current experiences of the Criminal Justice System on the future engagement of victims and witnesses in the system.

Technical details

The MORI Social Research Institute conducted a total of 63 in-depth qualitative interviews from 1 July -- 28 August 2003 (principally by telephone, with some face-to-face) with various groups of victims and witnesses of crime at different stages of the criminal justice process.

A total of 1,759 adults aged 15+ were interviewed on the MORI Omnibus in 198 sample points across England and Wales between 5-10 June 2003. Data are weighted to the population profile of all adults in England and Wales.

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