Doing Justice Locally: The North Liverpool Community Justice centre

Professor George Mair and Dr Matthew Millings, Liverpool John Moores University

Magistrate’s Association Seminar SeriesKeele University, 10th May 2011

http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus1828/Doing_justice_locally.pdf

Background to the ResearchCentre for Crime and Justice funded research into innovation at the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre (hereafter NLCJC or the Centre);

How far had innovation occurred What were the most important innovations To what extent was partnership central to the Centre’s operation What was the impact of the judge What were the outputs of the Centre What improvements might be made

Our research activity started in September 2009 and to date has been built around extensive observation of the Court and broader Centre workings, interviews with Centre staff, offenders who had been dealt with by the Court (67 in total), and the analysis of NLCJC administrative data

The North Liverpool Community Justice Centre

Among the Centre’s distinguishing features are;

The application of a problem-solving approach to criminal cases

A sole Judge who can sit as a District or a Crown Court Judge

Co-location of the relevant criminal justice agencies

The provision of a range of services available to the community as a whole

The availability of a community resource that can be used for a wide range of community initiatives

A community engagement team that works proactively to engage with the community

Views of Offenders

Awareness of the Centre

Initial promotional challengesIt was mad because the thing is you know this was a school before...I even came here then, and I reckon people still think it’s a school like because you have to come in and see the court to know it’s all been changed around in here. (40)

Growing ‘community’ momentumThis place is one of the best things that’s happened to this community because I hear people speaking and I’ve heard people in the pub talking and a lot of it is directed towards Mr Fletcher as a, not just as a Judge but as an individual, you can see how much passion he has and he wants to try and help the community and he really does understand your pitfalls and the man really does want to help. (25)

The Court Process (1/2) Engagement in the processI’ve been up the Mags sometimes and I know shit of what’s happening, sometimes I don’t even speak and I’m on my way and still don’t what’s happened; like here today though it’s all explained and I know what’s gone on, I asked him what stuff I’ve got to do and he explains why he’s given me what he’s given and I’ve learned something today and had my say. (36)

Pace of proceedingsThey take time here…you know you go to court and it’s tough, you get pumped up and you can’t think through things, here I’ve had meetings where we’ve ended up talking about me drinking and this review they’ve said there’s a bloke to speak to about getting work experience and you calm down and work through it, take it all in and stop things all kicking off again. (39)

The Court Process (2/2) CommunicationPeople I know used to take the piss out of the community stuff, a joke...but these people said to the probation guy that some of the fences (we were painting) weren’t any good so we had to do them again, you thought why do they care about it…but you could see it was useful that we’d done it and if you don’t have people like that who care about an area it would all be shit round here. (55)

Consistency of personnelYou go to a Mags court and you’re likely to be up before someone you’ve never met and can try a pull a few fast ones. Here though the judge knows yer, he’s seen yer before, he knows yer history, yer family and he knows when you’re bull-shitting. You don’t wanna get pulled up before him time after time it’s embarrassing cause he’ll have a go at yer and there’s nowhere to hide, he’s good at his job and he gets results. (44)

The Role of Judge Fletcher Personal qualitiesIt’s completely different to anything I’ve ever known, when we were waiting for a statement he asked me if I was keeping up with the swimming…it just comes natural to him and it puts you at your ease and that must make people work with him. (29)

ReputationI’ve been to court in town and had mates go through the Mags and they were saying you’ll get treated different here, but Fletch work’s yer hard, yeah it took me a couple of visits before I got my arse kicked and he started to lose faith in me and I got a grip like. (37)

(mutual) RespectThe Judge will always be fair with you and communicates…if he doesn’t like you or your attitude he will tell you, when it comes from him and he’s tried to help you it hurts like. (30)

Impact on Offending Behaviour (1/2) Holistic approachYeah the domestic violence course, it opened my eyes, to this day I use things off that what they taught you to learn if you’re getting stressed and mad do this, just calm down like...and with the reviews you keep thinking don’t get involved and make trouble for yourself and stay out of it, it’s courses and stuff like that I need to show me where I’m going wrong. (24)

Problem-solvingAt the end of the day only you change things and get your shit sorted, but people need chances and support and this place helps that and throws it to you to get sorted...they put you on the programmes, and when you fall they can but don’t put you in prison, and that changes everything and you get on and sort yourself which they’ve made happen. (45)

Impact on Offending Behaviour (2/2) All the pieces falling togetherI came here today not expecting to come back out, one stupid drink-filled fight and I’d blown everything...from nowhere he’s given me a chance and I can’t stop shaking and crying, I’ve got fucking miles to go but from nothing it’s all back. Me and the drink is over and I’m moving on from getting caught up with the drunks who’ve help put me here, he’s given me my final chance when he should have sent me down.

It’s progress all the time and I’m still living with me girlfriend, I’ve not touched the drink and I’ve attended all my sessions, the job club has got me filling the time the drink used to and there’s too much to lose with hanging around with drinkers that I got nothing to do with them no more...I’ve been inside mate and I can’t go back, coming to these appearances is worth it if I stay outside and I can’t waste this opportunity. (31)

Emergent Tensions

In the name of the ‘community’ or in the name of justice

The will of the people or the objectives of the Centre

The management and prioritisation of services between the court and community resource

The necessity of specialised facilities/locations

Freedom to experiment set against the need to satisfy pervasive performance culture

How do we measure the impact and effectiveness of court interventions