Giving victims and witnesses a voice
The last two decades have seen a sustained focus on putting victims and witnesses at the heart of the criminal justice system. The services victims and witnesses can expect to receive are now set out in the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime and the Witness Charter. However as highlighted by the Victims' Champion Sara Payne in her 2009 report Redefining justice: addressing the individual needs of victims and witnesses, a number of challenges still remain.
The Ipsos MORI Crime and Justice Research Team is ideally positioned to help you find out what victims and witnesses think about the services they receive, and where the criminal justice system should adapt to meet their needs. Working with us means you will benefit from our:
Extensive experience
We track victims' and witnesses' experiences of the criminal justice system through the Witness and Victim Experience Survey (WAVES), which we have run on behalf of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform since its inception in 2005. We also track the experiences of court users, including victims and witnesses, using exit surveys at courts across England and Wales via the Court User Survey, which we have conducted on behalf of Her Majesty's Court Service since its inception in 2005. We are equally at home with qualitative approaches. For instance we have carried out discussion groups with victims of crime for the Metropolitan Police to understand the expectations and experience of the service provided by the police.
State of the art information security measures
The handling and processing of victims' and witnesses' personal data requires the most stringent information security measures to be in place. Our dedicated in-house Information and Data Security Team work closely with us to ensure such measures are in place. Our handling of personal data on the WAVES project has passed an audit by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Trusted and respected name
The trusted and respected Ipsos MORI name is instrumental in reassuring victims and witnesses, many of whom are highly vulnerable, that they will be treated with the utmost care and sensitivity, that their personal data is safely held and securely destroyed, and that they can speak to us with full confidence that their answers are anonymous.