Background

The Conference

Organised by Criminal Justice Management magazine, the highly prestigious CJM national conference prides itself on being the UK's only event that succeeds in bringing together the key organisations and agencies that make up the UK criminal justice system.

From police to probation, courts to custody, this unique annual event offers an unprecedented opportunity for criminal justice professionals to gather under one roof and discuss current policy and debate the pathways to reform in the criminal justice arena.

With a target audience made up of chief executives, directors and business managers from police forces, prisons, courts, crown prosecution service and probation to name but a few, the CJM national conference has - since its inception over eight years ago - come to be recognised as the annual event for the criminal justice sector.

Background: CJM 2007

Last year's national Criminal Justice Management Conference: Empowering, Enabling, Smarter Justice, took place on Wednesday 10th October 2007 at the QEII Conference Centre, Westminster, and proved to be our biggest success to date.

With an array of high profile speakers including: Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner, Metropolitan Police; The Rt. Hon. David Hanson, Minister of State for Justice; and Michael Howard QC MP, former Home Secretary, the conference was attended by over 400 senior criminal justice professionals, all eager to learn how current policy will shape and improve ways of working in the coming years.

'Burn the red tape', says police chief

CJM07 also took the national press by storm, with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair claiming that 'ridiculous' bureaucracy is placing a huge burden on our policemen and women. He said:

"What we need is a bonfire on to which we throw the unnecessary regulation of policing and investigation in a measured way. We need a wholesale revamping of the regulations to get police officers out on the streets where they belong."

CJM08: Reforming, Reshaping, Rebalancing Justice

Now entering its eighth year, CJM08: Reforming, Reshaping, Rebalancing Justice, will take stock of the developments over the past year, and examine the latest issues surrounding criminal justice. Since the 7th National CJM Conference, the UK Government has commissioned two reviews into the areas of policing and prisons - both of which will inevitably affect criminal justice policy in the years to come.

Sir Ronnie Flanagan's Review of Policing (7 February 2008) and Lord Carter's Securing the future: Proposals for the efficient and sustainable use of custody in England and Wales (5 December 2007) will undoubtedly change the ways in which criminal justice agencies work together in the future, and CJM08 is the ideal place for those organisations to network and understand these key areas of reform. With keynote addresses from Sir Ronnie Flanagan and Lord Carter, delegates can hear the authors speak live about their findings - and perhaps most importantly - about the changes that are required to bring the criminal justice system into the 21st Century.

With representation from the key players in criminal justice, CJM08 promises to address the issues that matter. Whether it be reshaping prisons and probation, end to end offender management, or joining up justice through improved processes, this spectacular event will address cutting-edge strategy and business issues in the UK, and allow you to network with the most powerful and influencial speakers, delegates and suppliers across the criminal justice system.