Social Justice and Criminal Justice

The powers of the Welsh Assembly Government are limited with regard to some of the levers of power that can influence the social justice agenda. Nevertheless, the government’s commitment to the principles of equality of outcome and universalism in the provision of public services is commendable. Given this commitment, the focus of this paper addresses how criminal justice agencies in Wales can be aligned more closely with the social justice agenda of the Welsh Assembly Government.

The social justice agenda in Wales is wide-ranging, reaching into almost all areas of Welsh Assembly Government work. It represents the essence of a distinctive political philosophy for government policy in Wales and highlights some differences of approach between Cardiff and London. Whilst it is important not to exaggerate these differences, it should be noted that the Welsh Assembly Government’s approach has been more focused on the principles of equality and inclusiveness than has that of Westminster.

Criminal justice encompasses a broad range of services and a large number of agencies, especially following the expansion, through the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, of responsibility for tackling community safety. However, the core agencies at the heart of this responsibility are the Police, Crown Prosecution Service, Courts, Youth Justice, Prison and Probation services. For that reason it is the work of these agencies that forms the main focus of the paper.