 The architects of this modernization effort took as axiomatic Lord Irvine, the Lord Chancellor’s statement that “the Government was elected on a radical agenda to modernize this country. All institutions and services are liable to scrutiny, and those that are out of date, inefficient, or unaccountable to the people will not survive unchanged…. Change will be made whenever this will strengthen the social fabric, and promote a fairer, more decent, and more inclusive society” (Windelsham, 2001). As part to this development, instead of focusing on the effective administration of traditional services such as the police, courts, or prisons, the orientation changed to concentrating on measurable outcomes sought by the criminal justice system, e.g., crime reduction. As Lord Windelsham observes, for the Home Office (the branch of Britain’s government responsible for crime and crime control) three key objectives were identified and promoted. They were to: 1) reduce crime and fear of crime; 2) dispense justice fairly; and 3) promote confidence in the rule of law (Windelsham, 2001). It was further posited that these outcomes could not be delivered by the Home Office acting alone. Instead, they require that the central government, local governments, non governmental organizations, voluntary associations, and private enterprises work together in the form of partnerships. |
