Department for Work and Pensions
Roadmap themes

Justice system

Overall aim

Disabled people have equal recognition before the law, have the same access to justice as others and experience a fair, transparent and responsive criminal justice system informed of their needs.


Achievements from 2005 to 2009

  • True Vision Disability Hate Crime Reporting pack launched, to encourage the reporting of disability hate crimes.
  • Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS) Standard for Equality and Diversity (external link) (PDF) launched, including a Reasonable Adjustments policy.
  • Race for Justice cross government programme established to improve the way hate crimes are investigated and prosecuted.
  • Joint working between the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health to develop a National Offender Health Delivery Plan to help improve access to mental health services including learning disability services for offenders.
  • Support to victims and witnesses including Intermediary Special Measures to help vulnerable witnesses communicate their evidence in police interviews and in the courtroom.

Next steps on our strategy

  • Increased victim and witness satisfaction as recorded in the Witness & Victims Experience Survey (until 2011 in line with PSA24).
  • Implementation of the recommendations in Lord Bradley's report (external link) to divert offenders with mental health problems or learning disabilities away from prison into other more appropriate services.
  • Improve and make more consistent the collection of data and monitoring of reported hate crime plus actions to improve the handling of such crimes to improve outcomes for victims.
  • Improving accessibility to courts.
  • Involvement of disabled prisoner representatives in managing equalities issues in prisons.

UN Convention articles:

Independent Living Strategy commitments:

The Independent Living Strategy aims to ensure disabled people have greater access to housing, transport, health, employment, education and leisure opportunities and to participation in family and community life.

While none of the individual commitments directly links to this theme, the overall aim of the strategy as a whole supports equal recognition before the law and the same access to justice as others.