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<p>The Government is committed to supporting victims of crime.</p><p> </p><p>The Victims
and Prisoners Bill, which is currently in Report stage of the second House, introduces
measures to better serve victims and the public, through improving victims’ experiences
of the Criminal Justice System. The Bill places the overarching principles of the
Victims’ Code into primary legislation and places a statutory duty on relevant agencies
to provide services in accordance with the Victims’ Code, unless there is a good reason
not to. The Bill sets up new oversight mechanisms to monitor and improve Code compliance
through new mandatory data collection. There will be a series of consequences in place
for bodies that do not comply with the Code, delivered by new local and national oversight
mechanisms, with robust independent scrutiny by the Victims’ Commissioner.</p><p>
</p><p>The Government recognises the importance of services which support victims,
and so the Bill also introduces a duty on Police and Crime Commissioners Local Authorities
and Integrated Care Boards to collaborate when commissioning support services for
victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and serious violence in England. Alongside
this, the government has quadrupled funding for victims’ support services in cash
terms since 2009/10. This includes funding to increase the number of Independent Sexual
Violence Advisers and Independent Domestic Violence Advisers to around 1,000 by 2024/25,
a 24/7 Rape Support Helpline, and an improved Homicide Support Service.</p><p> </p><p>In
addition to supporting victims directly, the Government is committed to making sure
the punishment fits the crime. The average custodial sentence has increased by around
50% since 2010 and serious offenders now spend a higher proportion of their sentence
in custody.</p>
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