Introduction
The criminal justice system in England and Wales investigates, tries, punishes and rehabilitates people who are convicted or suspected of committing a crime. A functioning criminal justice system is at the core of a functioning civil society. The Comptroller and Auditor General’s report, on the basis of which we took evidence, focussed on the process between the point at which an individual is charged with an offence and the end of the court case. The main organisations involved are police forces, the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, victims and witness services, the judiciary and lawyers. The system as a whole is co-ordinated through a national Criminal Justice Board. Central government spending on this part of system is around £2 billion a year and, in the year to September 2015, around 1.7 million offences were dealt with through the courts.
© Parliamentary copyright 2015
23 May 2016