The criminal justice inspectorates all have a responsibility for assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice agencies they oversee. Each inspectorate currently has its high-level functions set out in differing pieces of legislation. This legislation includes provision on how the inspectorates act jointly. This broadly sets out that the inspectors shall act together to prepare a joint inspection programme, setting out what inspections they propose to carry out to effectively discharge their functions. It also states that the Secretary of State (which in practice will usually be the Home Secretary and the Justice Secretary), Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General may jointly direct when a joint inspection programme is prepared and what form it should take. It is envisaged that the inspectorates will continue to agree and set out their proposed joint inspection programme in a Joint Business Plan, which typically covers a period of two years.
	The inspectorates do already work together effectively to undertake joint thematic inspections. However, to ensure that their programme of work regularly includes a focus on victims’ issues, the Act introduces the ability for relevant Ministers to direct joint thematic inspections by criminal justice inspectorates to assess the experiences and treatment of victims throughout the entire criminal justice process. The policy intention behind requiring these joint thematic inspections is to make inspectorates more effective at: identifying key issues in relation to victims across the whole system; understanding the cause of these issues and the best ways to address them; and making recommendations that will ensure improvements in the service provided to victims.
	This requirement applies to the following inspectorates:
HMI Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) (who hold responsibility for assessing the effectiveness of police forces and fire and rescue services), but only to their functions relating to police forces
HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) who hold responsibility for assessing the effectiveness of the CPS and the Serious Fraud Office
HMI Probation (HMIP) who inspect probation and youth offending services
HMI Prisons (HMIP) who inspect prisons and young offender institutions.
	The Act creates a new power for the Secretary of State (which in practice will usually be the Home Secretary and the Justice Secretary), Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General acting jointly, to require any of the above inspectorates to carry out a joint inspection assessing victims’ experiences and treatment and to specify when this should be carried out. The intention is to use the power for the purpose of specifying in which given joint inspection business plan cycle an inspection is to take place.
	There is no dedicated inspectorate for His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The Public Bodies (Abolition of HM Inspectorate of Courts Administration and the Public Guardian Board) Order of 2012 abolished HM Inspectorate of Court Administration (HMICA) and set out that any of the four remaining criminal justice inspectorates may inspect any aspect of the Crown Court or Magistrates’ Courts in relation to their criminal jurisdiction, which could have been inspected by HMICA. HMCTS have been assessed since then as part of joint thematic inspections.
Policy background Joint thematic inspections of victims’ issues