User Voice exists to reduce the damage caused by the justice system: to victims, those in the system and their families, communities and to the public purse. We believe that the justice system can and must fundamentally change, so that those caught up in it can be accountable, repair harm and productively contribute to their communities.
The UK criminal justice system faces major challenges and, as a result, people often experience it as dysfunctional and ineffective. These challenges include victims having to wait far too long for justice and a system that invariably just doesn’t meet their needs, overcrowded prisons that do not provide value for money, court delays and backlogs, racial and socioeconomic disparities, failures in rehabilitation, sentencing inconsistencies, and major overuse of remand and recall. One of the key contributors to the justice system’s failings is an overwhelming focus on punishment alone over prevention and rehabilitation.
The evidence is clear. Not only is crime on the rise, but prisons are bursting at the seams, and reoffending costs the country more than £18Bn a year.
Our vision is a society where the justice system is truly receptive to the views of those impacted by it, is genuinely rehabilitative and focused on tackling the root causes of crime. justice should heal as much as it punishes, creating safer communities for all.
