The report suggests that by embracing principles of fairness, swiftness, authority and a focus on people as well as cases, our criminal courts can do more to reduce crime and make better use of resources. The report highlights 11 case studies that exemplify better court innovation.
The report argues that successful innovation must be started from the local level and calls for more freedom for local courts to act on their own initiative. The report points to a range of innovations which ought to be explored as simpler approaches to resolving low-level crime and anti-social behaviour problems; a new generation of ‘accountability’ courts in which judges regularly supervise offenders on community sentences; courts, prosecutors and others engaging with court users to help improve the court process, and the government to explore how redesigning the current administrative structure can unlock greater frontline innovation.