Code of Practice - Criminal Justice System

1.1 This Code of Practice governs the services to be provided in England and Wales by the organisations listed in section 2 below to victims of criminal conduct which occurred in England and Wales. It is issued by the Home Secretary under section 32 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. 

1.2 This introduction does not form part of the Code of Practice and does not place any obligations on service providers. 

1.3 Where a person fails to comply with this Code, that does not, of itself, make him or her liable to any legal proceedings.The Code is, however, admissible in evidence in both criminal and civil proceedings and the court may take failure to comply with the Code into account in determining a question in any such proceedings. 

1.4 Breaches of this Code should be referred initially to the service provider(s) concerned.The complaints procedures of the organisations with obligations to provide services are included in the final section of this Code (section 16). If the complainant remains dissatisfied, the complaint can be investigated and reported on by the Parliamentary Ombudsman under the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967, as amended by Schedule 7 to the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims
Act 2004. 

1.5 This Code represents a minimum level of service in England and Wales. In some parts of England and Wales, organisations, including organisations not mentioned in this Code, will be providing additional services in accordance with priorities agreed by Local Criminal Justice Boards (or equivalent groups).These additional services are not covered by this Code.