A Conservative majority government will introduce an ambitious package of measures to support the victims of crime, the party has announced today.

The measures announced today include:

• Supporting rape victims – with a £15 million cash boost to cut delays, speed up charging decisions, and keep more victims engaged with the process until trial.
  
• Protecting domestic abuse victims by passing our Domestic Abuse Bill by Spring 2020 and implementing it quickly.
  
• Enshrining the rights of victims in law - with a Victims’ Law which that guarantees their rights and the level of support they should receive.
  
• Boosting funding for specialist victim services – with a victim surcharge which imposes a levy on convicted offenders based on their sentence, with income contributing to the funding the MoJ provides to victim services.
  
• Reforming the parole system – with a root-and-branch review of prisoner release arrangements and reform the parole system to make it more transparent.

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Commenting on the announcement, Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins said:

Victims of crime will often have been through horrific and harrowing experiences. They may have had their lives ripped apart because of physical, emotional or economic abuse.

These plans will help to ensure that the system is working for them, not against them – and that they can always count on receiving the justice and support that they deserve.