So Far So.............. Well, Much The Same Really

Among the flood of Government reports and statements that have been rushed out just as Parliament goes into recess for nearly three months is this look at the effect of 'community justice' in its early days. I have never hidden my view that the whole thing is a political gimmick that has nothing to offer the justice system. You can read the document yourself. But this quote stands out for me:-

Key points
• In order to assess the initial impact of the CJIs in North Liverpool and Salford on re-offending a method was used which allowed for comparison of offenders that had passed through the Community Justice courts in North Liverpool and Salford, with a matched group of offenders who had not.
• Analysis showed that the rates of re-offending within the first year for all three areas were not statistically significantly different.
• Results from this study, which were based on the experiences of offenders who passed through CJIs in their first year of operation, should be seen as tentative. Once greater numbers of offenders have passed through the Community Justice courts, and the changes initiated have become deeply embedded, this, along with data on specific interventions and types of offence on reconviction, could provide more robust evidence on the impact of Community Justice Initiatives.

Later:-
Here's a report from The Times.
And here's some more background.

(post time fiddled to push it up the list in view of added links - ed)