PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THIS LETTER AS A TEMPLATE TO SEND IT TO YOUR MP
Dear [Insert MP name here],
This May, the Ministry of Justice’s pilot scheme providing victims of sexual offences with the opportunity to access their sentencing remarks cost-free is coming to an end.
The pilot was launched just before the election year, following the successful campaign of Open Justice For All to ensure that victims would be able to access court transcripts for free. Due to the timing of the election, little effort was put into ensuring victim-survivors were made aware that they were now eligible for it until six months into its existence. Thanks to campaign group, Open Justice For All and the work of London Victims’ Commissioner, victim-survivors were made aware of the pilot and were able to access their transcripts cost-free. Something that would have cost them thousands of pounds otherwise.
Those victim-survivors that have made use of the pilot report that its impact has been transformational. Trials are lengthy and traumatising experiences, so being able to review their sentencing remarks after-the-fact can help provide victims and survivors with much-needed clarity and closure about the outcome of their case.
Victim-survivors that have received their transcripts through the pilot have told us that ‘Listening to somebody else say how devastating the abuse i’d suffered was massive for my healing journey’ and ‘these will get me through my darkest days’.
Yet in May, if the Ministry of Justice decides not to extend the sentencing remark pilot scheme, thousands of future victim-survivors will be deprived of this right. Open Justice For All have been engaging with Alex Davies-Jones MP about the future of the pilot scheme but as of yet the department has not been forthcoming about its plans.
As my Member of Parliament, will you support victim-survivors to access to open justice in your constituency by writing to Alex-Davies Jones MP to urge her to ensure this pilot becomes permanent, and ask the following questions:
Does the Ministry of Justice intend to make the sentencing remarks pilot scheme permanent?
If not, does the Ministry of Justice intend to make clear on what basis it has discontinued the sentencing remarks pilot scheme? And how does the Ministry of Justice plan to support and provide open justice to victims without access to court transcripts?
Please provide a copy of any correspondence you receive from Alex-Davies Jones MP or the Ministry of Justice in response to these questions.
Thank you for supporting victims and survivors,
[Your name here]