Attorney General's Office

Attorney General: Keynote Speech - CPS National Schools Project Launch

Good morning. Many of you will know I have a passion for children. I am so thrilled to be here today, that doesn't mean I don't like the adults who are here!

Let me first of all say how pleased I am to be able to join you for what I think is an important event. I say important, because I know that everyone in the room is committed and passionate about educating young people about the Criminal Justice System. I am extremely pleased to be working with Keir and others to take forward this agenda. And you know Keir is my partner in crime.

As many people will already know raising young people's aspirations and improving their understanding of our justice and legal systems is a real passion of mine. It is something which it is important that we do and that we do well. I have established a Youth Network, bringing together partners from across sectors and disciplines, with just these aims. And I am delighted that the CPS have been able to make such a wonderful and contribution in this way.

This project is a genuine example of how something which starts off small - and importantly, with those who work in a local setting - can develop. If it works - as this project clearly does - it can spread. The fact that the CPS now have an ambitious national schools project is a testament to our ability to identify what works, to hone it, and to give it the opportunity to take root on a much much bigger stage.

As I say, this project had small beginnings. In 2007, CPS Derbyshire in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council Local Authority developed 2 interactive lessons to deliver to Key Stage 3 & 4 (11-16) year pupils. It was part of the outreach programme where we very keen to start engaging with the wider community.

This interactive session forms part of the mandatory national Citizenship Curriculum the purpose of which is to equip pupils with the knowledge and skills needed for effective and democratic participation. It helps pupils become informed, active citizens who have the confidence and conviction to work together to take action in their communities through:

• Teaching pupils about their rights, and their responsibilities, duties and freedoms and about laws, justice and democracy.
• Encouraging respect for different national, religious and ethnic identities.
• Enabling pupils to learn how society has changed and how it continues to change in the UK, Europe and the wider world.
• Helping young people to develop their decision-making and critical skills as they consider a wide range of political, social ethical and moral problems.
• Developing the ability to argue a case on behalf of others as well as themselves and speak out on issues of concern.

The Curriculum is not simply knowledge-based in that it has an emphasis on skills acquisition. As such, the Derbyshire lessons comprised a range of activities designed to foster an understanding of the criminal justice system from witnessing a crime through to giving evidence in court and particularly emphasises the role of the CPS through pupils reviewing a mock file and deciding whether the defendants in the case should be prosecuted. This is such a powerful position to have.

I personally had the privilege of seeing this project at first hand at a Derbyshire Schools event, in June 2009. And I was delighted to see the real impact it had on the young people taking part. It really stands out as a beacon in my memory.

It was just stunning to listen to 13 year olds discussing the evidential test and the public interest test. Those children understood the processes of the criminal justice system. They understood that it was their system, their law and their justice, and that they had a real contribution to make.

They also, importantly, understood why the CPS cannot always prosecute. Building resilience and bringing about change is already being carried out by these children and we need to build on this. I really think that young people have a lot to teach us.

I am pleased that some of the young people from Derbyshire who have taken part in the project have been able to join us today, and they will shortly give you a presentation.

Having seen the project at first hand, and the results it could deliver, I was very keen indeed that we should look to expand its reach. The CPS has in recent years developed a central role in the Criminal Justice System's engagement with communities, and this project has a central role to play in our building on that success.

Let me say here today that I am extremely proud of the Community Engagement Work already taking place within the CPS. Community Prosecutors, Community Involvement Panels, Hate Crime Scrutiny Panels and the Schools Project are all important parts of our efforts to build a modern public prosecution service.

As the minister responsible for superintending the CPS, I am pleased that we have been brave enough to open ourselves to scrutiny in the form of Hate Crime Scrutiny Panels. It is the mark of a confident organisation - and a modern public prosecution service - when it can be prepared to ask for the truth, however uncomfortable that might be. But I know that we do so out of a genuine desire to continually improve and to deliver what the public rightly expects of us. With this help we are honing our skills in a way that we never have before.

I also know that across the CPS we now have 11 Community Involvement panels fully operation with others on the way. Together I hope the scrutiny panels and the involvement panels send a clear message about our determination to be open and transparent about the workings of our prosecution business.

And, through the Community Prosecutor approach we are providing a natural extension to what prosecutors already do in considering the public interest as part of their decision-making. And as I have said on previous occasions, my ambition is that all CPS staff can make the Community Prosecutor Approach second nature.

Importantly, the Community Prosecutor approach will greatly enhance our capacity to provide feedback to communities. This could mean prosecutors attending Neighbourhood Meetings with police officers, to explain what action can be, or has been taken.

The Community Prosecutor approach will mean that staff will have more information about local concerns. They will understand well how a particular type of crime is impacting on the community and can take this information into account when making casework decisions.

It will also enhance the support which we already provide to victims, and in so doing help us to build a greater degree of resilience to crime. We know that many of the defendants who we deal with were at one time victims. So by working harder through the Community Prosecutor approach to support them and address their needs we will be able to make a real contribution to our efforts to further reduce crime going forward.

Overall, it's about visibility. While our prosecutors appear in courtrooms and attend police stations to advise officers on a daily basis, much of their work in tackling crime goes quite unseen. That is something I am clear we need to change.

The Schools Project will contribute to this increased visibility, and will raise the level of awareness about the role of the CPS within the teaching fraternity and amongst young people nationally.

I think that this is a valuable contribution to our broader efforts to build a strong, resilient society for our future. We hope that the society which our children and, in time, grandchildren will inherit is at least as good and as safe as that which we inhabit today. We aspire for it to be much better. We need to ensure that the rule of law is understood and respected.

However, for young people attempting to navigate their way through our legal and justice systems it can be really daunting, and so we owe it to them to arm them with a level of knowledge which can help them to understand what is going on. They need to know that the systems in place are working for them and are there to protect their interests. So often, young people feel that law and justice are things which are done to them and which they don't feel part of.

This is where projects such as this one can have a real part to play.

Although the vast majority of our young people just want to get on with growing up, with three quarters not involved in offending and the number of first time entrants to the criminal justice system on the decrease, youth crime can still have a devastating effect on our communities, and children themselves who can often be victims too. Helping young people to understand the law - and to feel it is theirs - is a real contribution that we can make to the massive programme of work which we have to tackle this problem.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the CPS staff who have participated in the delivery of this project. I am particularly pleased with how quickly the project has moved forward and that we are well on our way of achieving the target of delivering the lessons in 3 - 4 Schools within each CPS Area by March.

I believe there is a wealth of evidence to support stronger and more far reaching community engagement right across the Criminal Justice System, including with young people. I know that the Director of Public Prosecutions and I share an ambition that our prosecution service will play a leading role, and that you will continue to help us to do so.

I can't emphasise enough how much we welcome your support in delivering our objectives to make the CPS the best prosecution service possible. And through the work of the National Schools Project help our young people to become informed Citizens who are aware of their rights and responsibilities in relation to the law. I also hope that we may see the next DPP or Attorney General in this room today!
Thank you.