ABSTRACT
The criminal justice system is continually the subject of widespread and heated debate in Parliament, the broadcast media and the print media, and in academic and professional journals. It has been subject to extensive and continuous statutory change, spanning many areas, including those of criminal evidence, bail, juries and appeals. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is a face-to-face victimisation survey in which people resident in households in England and Wales are asked about their experiences of a selected number of offences in the 12 months prior to the interview. The CSEW is able to capture all offences experienced by those interviewed, not just those that have been reported to, and recorded by, the police. The criminal justice system is showing signs of strain as it tries to cope with a society in the throes of major transitions.
