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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Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards (Chair) |
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Chief Constable, Hertfordshire Constabulary |
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Chief Crown Prosecutor, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Thames & Chiltern |
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Assistant Chief Officer, Delivery Management Office, Hertfordshire Constabulary |
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Detective Chief Superintendent, Crime & Safeguarding Command, Hertfordshire Constabulary |
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Athena & Digital Policing Lead, Hertfordshire Constabulary & Chair of the Innovation and Digital CJS Efficiency Subgroup |
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Chief Superintendent, Criminal Justice & Custody, Hertfordshire Constabulary |
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Area Manager, Citizens Advice - Witness Service |
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Cluster Manager, His Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) |
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Senior Legal Manager, His Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) |
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Operations Manager (Crown), His Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) |
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Governor, His Majesty’s Prison Service (HMPS) (The Mount, Bovingdon) |
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Head of Hertfordshire Probation Delivery Unit, His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) |
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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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Managing Director, Noble Solicitors |
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Place Director, Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, NHS & Chair of Early Intervention and Prevention Subgroup |
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Senior Manager Commissioning Health and Justice, NHS England and NHS Improvement |
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Regional Head of Health and Justice, NHS England and NHS Improvement |
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Director of Children's Services, Hertfordshire County Council |
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Head of Youth Justice Service, Hertfordshire County Council |
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Independent Chair, Fairness in the Criminal Justice System Subgroup |
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Head of Victim Services & Commissioning, Hertfordshire OPCC |
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Policy and Partnerships Manager, Hertfordshire OPCC & Chair of Victims and Witnesses Subgroup |
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Strategic Crime & Insight Analyst, Hertfordshire OPCC |
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.
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.