Photograph by Elliott Brown

Victims are for the first time going to be able to directly confront those who are accused of committing crimes against them in court under the new Victims’ Code.

Victims will be able to choose to read out their Victim Personal Statement in front of the court and the offender to demonstrate how the crime has affected them. Judges will then take this into account when determining sentencing.

Victims’ Minister Damian Green said:

For too long victims have felt they are treated as an afterthought in the criminal justice system. No more. I am absolutely determined that victims are given back their voice and supported every step of the way.

The new Victims’ Code will for the first time entitle victims to read their Victim Personal Statement out in court. This will mean offenders and the court can be left in no doubt of the full impact of a crime.

I want to create a tougher justice system. Under this government those who break the law are more likely to go to prison for longer. I’m making sure victims’ voices are heard and that criminals no longer get away with just a slap on the wrist.

The plans also have the support of a number of charities which work with victims of crime, with Javed Khan, Chief Executive of independent charity Victim Support, saying:

We speak to more than one million victims of crime every year and know how often they feel left on the sidelines in the criminal justice system, unable to make their voices heard.

Whilst there is widespread support for giving victims of crime a voice, not everyone believes that the Victims’ Code will have the desired impact. Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan:

The Government’s Victims’ Code is simply an unenforceable piece of paper that will be shoved in a drawer and ignored. If this Government really wanted to put victims first, they should follow the lead of Labour and commit to a Victims’ Law. Only by enshrining clear enforceable rights in an Act of Parliament will our criminal justice system treat victims and witnesses with the proper dignity and respect they deserve