Criminal justice
Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs) were introduced by the government in 2003 to drive collaborative improvements across the criminal justice system and improve public confidence. In March 2023, further national guidance was published, emphasising the role of the LCJB in supporting the statutory duty of Police and Crime Commissioners and criminal justice agencies to work together to provide an efficient and effective criminal justice system.
The Hertfordshire Criminal Justice Board (HCJB) is a partnership of agencies working towards this goal.
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David Lloyd |
Police and Crime Commissioner (Chair) |
|
Charlie Hall QPM |
Chief Constable, Hertfordshire Constabulary |
|
Cat Hemmings |
Assistant Chief Officer, Delivery Management Office, Hertfordshire Constabulary |
|
Debbie Fox |
Athena & Digital Policing Lead, Hertfordshire Constabulary & Chair of the Innovation and Digital CJS Efficiency Subgroup |
|
Matthew Thompson |
Chief Superintendent, Criminal Justice & Custody, Hertfordshire Constabulary |
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Layla Allen |
Area Manager, Citizens Advice - Witness Service |
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Rose-Marie Franton |
Chief Crown Prosecutor, CPS Thames and Chiltern |
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Ian Miller |
Cluster Manager, His Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) |
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Kate Somarakis |
Senior Legal Manager, His Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) |
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Kerry White |
Operations Manager (Crown), His Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) |
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John Gormley |
Governor, His Majesty’s Prison Service (HMPS) (The Mount, Bovingdon) |
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Neeve Bishop |
Head of Hertfordshire Probation Delivery Unit, His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) |
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Clare Griffiths |
Deputy Head of Service, His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) & Chair of the Rehabilitation of Offenders in the Community Subgroup |
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Anthony Roche |
Managing Director, North Herts District Council |
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Sharn Elton |
Place Director, Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, NHS & Chair of Early Intervention and Prevention Subgroup |
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Kirsty Parker |
Senior Manager Commissioning Health and Justice, NHS England and NHS Improvement |
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Claire Weston |
Regional Head of Health and Justice, NHS England and NHS Improvement |
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Jo Fisher |
Director of Children's Services, Hertfordshire County Council |
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Peter Kay |
Interim Head of Youth Justice Service, Hertfordshire County Council |
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Alex Kweller |
Programme Manager & CJ Lead, Hertfordshire County Council |
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Emma Harwood |
Area Contract Manager, Legal Aid Agency |
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Paul Millan |
Managing Director, Noble Solicitors |
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Meenal Sachdev |
Director, Shiva Foundation & Chair of the Fairness in the Criminal Justice System Subgroup |
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Caitlin Blumgart |
Policy and Partnerships Manager, Hertfordshire OPCC & Chair of Victims and Witnesses Subgroup |
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Clare Hill |
Strategic Crime & Insight Analyst, Hertfordshire OPCC |
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Kevin McGetrick |
Head of Victim Services & Commissioning, Hertfordshire OPCC |
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Nicholas Moss |
Lay Member / Independent Challenge |
The Board's four priorities are informed by the Police and Crime Commissioner's Community Safety and Criminal Justice Plan 2022-2027.
Priority 1: Putting Victims at the Centre – Preventing harm through improved support for victims and witnesses at each stage of the journey
Priority 2: Preventing re-offending – Promoting resettlement and rehabilitation of offenders to reduce recidivism
Priority 3: Keeping crime low – Reducing crime through early intervention
Priority 4: Fairness & Legitimacy – Increasing trust, improving efficiency, and addressing fairness in the CJS
Delivery of these priorities is underpinned by the following guiding principles:
- Prevention First
- Evidence led and data driven
- Collaboration and partnership working
- Whole systems approach
- Shared problem solving
- Sharing of knowledge
- Hearing the lived experience of those using the criminal justice system
The Board's activities are supported by the Programme and Performance Monitoring Group (PPMG) and thematic subgroups. To find out more about the roles of these groups, please see the Hertfordshire Criminal Justice Board Strategy 2022-2025 below.
Hertfordshire Criminal Justice Board Strategy 2022-25
Closed Meetings
The HCJB and its subgroups meet once a quarter. HCJB meetings are minuted and these minutes are publicly available below.
Public Meetings
The Board periodically holds meetings in public, providing an opportunity for the general public to observe and put questions to members of the Board. The date of the next public meeting will be advertised here and in the local press once confirmed.
Board Minutes:
You can find out more information about the criminal justice system on gov.uk, this includes information about:
- Your rights and legal support
- What to expect at court and the different types of court
- Compensation and victim support
- Prisons and support for families of prisoners
Attending court
If you or someone you know requires support attending a criminal justice court as a victim or witness, free and independent support is available from the Citizen Advice Witness Service. Please see their website for more information and their referral form.
The Ministry of Justice has created a series of videos to provide general information for those attending court as a witness - you can view these here.
Recovering from crime
If you have been a victim of crime and would like to find out more about the support available, the Beacon team is here to help. Visit the website or call 03000 11 55 55.