Courts hire Good Relations

Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS), an arm of the Ministry of Justice, manages the magistrates’ courts and county courts in England and Wales, as well as the Crown Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.

Good Relations will promote a scheme called Simple, Speedy, Summary Justice. The scheme will be promoted to professionals working across the criminal justice system including the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and magistrates.

Former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer has described the scheme as promoting ‘clear, constructive inter-agency communication, information being available in advance and greater familiarity with the cases being brought before the courts’.

Good Relations’ team of three is focusing on the effectiveness of the scheme by gathering information and testimonials from people working in the criminal justice system. The agency will also advise on comms with media and stakeholders.

The Good Relations team will be headed by director Phil Brady, reporting to Erum Mussa, comms co-ordinator at the Criminal Justice Delivery Unit.

Brady said: ‘The success of the scheme depends on cultural change and new ways of working for all agencies ­involved in criminal justice’.