The Government is committed to putting victims and witnesses first in the criminal justice system. We have considerably improved support given to victims, including revamping the Victims\u2019 Code to ensure victims of the most serious crimes get access to vital services like counselling to help cope with and, where possible, recover from what they have been through.<\/p>
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Our statutory Victim Contact Scheme (VCS) is offered to all victims where the offender has committed a violent or sexual offence and received a sentence of 12 months or more. The scheme enables victims to be kept informed by victim liaison officers of key stages of the offender\u2019s sentence, including release, and to make representations on conditions to which the offender may be subject on release.<\/p>
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This entitlement is outlined in the Government\u2019s Victims\u2019 Code, which came into force in December 2013. The Victims\u2019 Code gives victims of crime clearer entitlements from criminal justice agencies and better tailors services to individual need.<\/p>
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The National Offender Management Service Domestic Abuse Policy Strategy sets out that it is best practice to offer the VCS to domestic abuse victims, regardless of the length of the offender\u2019s sentence and whether the offender will be subject to licensed supervision in the community. Such decisions are made on a case by case basis. This is outlined in the guidance for victim liaison officers.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1528", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Mike Penning"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hemel Hempstead"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mike Penning"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-04T17:30:43.657Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Domestic Abuse"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that domestic abuse victims are informed of the release from prison of their abusers regardless of how long they have served in prison.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4129", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Ian Paisley"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Antrim"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Ian Paisley"} ], "uin" : "225327"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/177210", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/177210/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Legal aid in England and Wales is available to victims of domestic violence where they need it to help break free from the abusive relationship. Access to legal aid for protective injunctions to prevent domestic violence remains identical to that prior to the legal aid reforms. These matters continue to be funded without the need for evidence. In private family law cases (such as child or financial arrangements) legal aid continues to be available where there is evidence of domestic violence or child abuse - the list of acceptable evidence is wide and comprehensive.<\/p>
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In a recent judgment, the High Court found that the domestic violence evidential requirements are lawful and reflect the intention of Parliament in providing legal aid for those victims of domestic violence who require assistance because they will be intimidated or materially disadvantaged by having to face their abuser in court.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1496", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Shailesh Vara"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North West Cambridgeshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Shailesh Vara"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-02-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-02-09T17:37:33.827Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Abuse"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that all victims of domestic abuse access legal aid for family cases.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4129", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Ian Paisley"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Antrim"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Ian Paisley"} ], "uin" : "222992"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 2, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }