Hampshire Constabulary is the first Police force in England to use a new management system for Single Justice Procedure cases, making it easier for people across the Isle of Wight to admit their guilt to certain offences without going to court.
Anyone across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight responding to an SJP charge, such as a traffic offence, will be able to enter their plea digitally. This means they can resolve their case quickly, fairly and efficiently without going to court.
Emily Brown, Summary Justice Unit Team Leader at Hampshire Constabulary has welcomed the force’s involvement:
“I’m delighted we’ve been chosen as the first force to deal with traffic offences using this new system. I can see immediate benefits and some real efficiencies for the police, as well as for our local citizens.
“It will mean that when people are charged with traffic offences, like speeding or driving without insurance – and if they plead guilty – they’ll be dealt with efficiently and fairly by the justice system, with minimal delays.
“It means our local courts can concentrate on those cases that really need to be there and for us, as prosecutors, we’re able to see and act on real-time results”.
Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, comments:
“I am pleased that Hampshire Constabulary has been selected as the first police force in the country to implement the SJP – Single Justice Procedure. With more demands being placed on the police, such as new disclosure rules, the SJP for traffic offences is welcome. Anything that speeds up the process and makes its quicker and easier for people to plead guilty and the case to be concluded sooner, is welcome. The number of traffic cases dealt with by courts across the whole country, where individuals ‘plead guilty by post’ is enormous. This will free up valuable court time when we have significant national backlogs in the courts system due to COVID delays.”
Article continues below this advertisement
The Single Justice Service is responsible for administering single justice procedure (SJP) cases, delivered through the Common Platform, a new digital case management system. Support for users of the service is provided by the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre. It’s designed to enable HMCTS and justice partners to manage and share criminal case information more effectively. It delivers greater transparency, consistency and faster case processing.
The SJP is an element of the Single Justice Service introduced in 2015, which allows a single magistrate to deal with adult, summary-only, non-imprisonable offences for ‘guilty’ pleas and ‘proof in absence’ cases (when a defendant has not responded to a charge). These cases account for about 850,000 of criminal cases per annum, which almost exclusively result in a financial penalty.
The magistrate, supported by a legal adviser, decides on these cases outside of the courtroom in the absence of the prosecutor and defendant. It allows those who plead guilty to resolve their case without going to court, minimises delay and frees up court time for those cases that need to be heard in court.
Hampshire Constabulary’s traffic offence details will upload directly onto the case management system, gradually increasing volumes.
As soon as the defendant provides a guilty plea online, the system will prioritise their case. A plea may be dealt with immediately and defendants will no longer have to wait a minimum of 28 days for an outcome (for a fine, withdrawal or referral to open court), as is currently the case.
Postal pleas will still be an option and will go to a centralised unit and uploaded to the case. All defendants can request an open hearing in court whether they enter a guilty plea or not guilty plea.
A truly great idea; let’s hope this succeeds, and is not abused.
What Is truly great about it?
This has been done for over a year now, so I don’t know why it’s in the news now.
This scheme is a way to convict people without them knowing. If you don’t respond to the notice in 21 days you will be found guilty.
Snip from government website.
“If you do not respond to the notice within 21 days, the magistrate will make a decision about your case without your say.”
If you get sent a notice you better hope you receive it. Else you could be convicted of a crime you did not commit without your knowledge. Police will just turn up and cart you away.
And if that happens then you make a “Statutory declaration”, the sentence is put aside and starts again with the charge being put to you then and there.