NCJ Number
124993
Date Published
1990
Length
62 pages
Annotation
This seminar presented speakers from a broad spectrum of the United Kingdom criminal justice system who discussed some of their operations and problems as well as the implications of free borders in Europe for law enforcement. The seminar was part of the ongoing work of criminal justice professionals, academics, and researchers to improve the system's effectiveness.
Abstract
The historical context and current problems of the Crown Prosecuting Service, created by Parliament several years ago to review criminal cases and decide on the justification for prosecution, are outlined. The various components of the criminal justice system are described and their relationships examined with a view to improving the overall system. One of the papers discusses significant trends in law enforcement, using these watchwords: flexibility, diversity, differentiation, mobility, communication, decentralization, and internationalization. The issue of whether justice is served by making discretionary decisions and ignoring the needs of the victim is explored, and the development of "victim concern" as an objective of crime management is recommended. A discussion of legal issues involved with immigration reviews immigration control measures and technologies and ends with the implications of open borders for immigration law. Developments in drug smuggling and asset confiscation are explored. The context, and possible future directions, of criminal justice research are outlined in another paper. The final presentation examines the effect of global and regional developments on the policing of Europe in the 1990s.