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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Justice 'must focus on victims' | Justice 'must focus on victims' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Child protection campaigner Sara Payne is calling on the government to "redefine" justice to give greater priority to victims of crime. | Child protection campaigner Sara Payne is calling on the government to "redefine" justice to give greater priority to victims of crime. |
| Mrs Payne, whose daughter Sarah was murdered by a convicted paedophile, was named Victims' Champion in January. | Mrs Payne, whose daughter Sarah was murdered by a convicted paedophile, was named Victims' Champion in January. |
| She wants victims to be given more help to deal with the impact of crime and says they need greater clarity about the jail terms offenders will serve. | She wants victims to be given more help to deal with the impact of crime and says they need greater clarity about the jail terms offenders will serve. |
| The government has pledged to set up a Victims' Service in England and Wales. | The government has pledged to set up a Victims' Service in England and Wales. |
| Mrs Payne has published a report after spending nine months speaking to victims and witnesses and studying front line services. | Mrs Payne has published a report after spending nine months speaking to victims and witnesses and studying front line services. |
| She told the BBC: "In every single area you get treated in a different way. What we need to do is make sure that everybody has access to the same system that everyone else does. | She told the BBC: "In every single area you get treated in a different way. What we need to do is make sure that everybody has access to the same system that everyone else does. |
| One-to-one care | One-to-one care |
| "It's not just about courts though. If we step back from that, 97% of people who report a crime never see a courtroom, so we need to think about what is justice for these people. | "It's not just about courts though. If we step back from that, 97% of people who report a crime never see a courtroom, so we need to think about what is justice for these people. |
| Sarah Payne was murdered by paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000 | Sarah Payne was murdered by paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000 |
| "I think we are not inclusive of people - we don't ask people what they need and we really need to start doing that at an early stage." | "I think we are not inclusive of people - we don't ask people what they need and we really need to start doing that at an early stage." |
| At the Labour conference in September, Justice Secretary Jack Straw announced that £11m was being made available over the next two years to create a service offering one-to-one care and support for relatives of murder victims. | At the Labour conference in September, Justice Secretary Jack Straw announced that £11m was being made available over the next two years to create a service offering one-to-one care and support for relatives of murder victims. |
| He said the National Victims Service would be launched next year and would eventually be expanded to offer practical, emotional and financial support to all victims of crime. | He said the National Victims Service would be launched next year and would eventually be expanded to offer practical, emotional and financial support to all victims of crime. |
| The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says her main conclusion is that the justice system needs to be "reshaped". | The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says her main conclusion is that the justice system needs to be "reshaped". |
| HAVE YOUR SAYSentencing is a joke - most criminals seem to serve around half their sentences, and this is an insult to the victims of their crimesAlice W, Bristol, UK Send us your comments | HAVE YOUR SAYSentencing is a joke - most criminals seem to serve around half their sentences, and this is an insult to the victims of their crimesAlice W, Bristol, UK Send us your comments |
| The report says that at present, justice is defined as "catching the criminal and protecting the public", and victims and witnesses feel they are included simply to "aid" that process. | |
| Mrs Payne recommends that in future delivering justice should be about supporting the victim to overcome the impact of the crime so they can get on with their lives. | |
| She also wants more transparency in sentencing so that victims know exactly how long offenders will serve in prison. | |
| Mrs Payne's eight-year-old daughter was murdered in 2000 by known paedophile Roy Whiting. | Mrs Payne's eight-year-old daughter was murdered in 2000 by known paedophile Roy Whiting. |
| Since then she has campaigned for a so-called "Sarah's Law", giving parents the right to know about convicted sex offenders living near them. | Since then she has campaigned for a so-called "Sarah's Law", giving parents the right to know about convicted sex offenders living near them. |
| The campaign has resulted in pilot schemes in four police forces that allow parents or guardians to check whether people who have access to their children are convicted sex offenders. | The campaign has resulted in pilot schemes in four police forces that allow parents or guardians to check whether people who have access to their children are convicted sex offenders. |