NEW prison cells, more criminal justice staff and an expansion of police digital forensics will be required if a package of new laws tackling violence against women and girls is approved, the Home Affairs Minister has said.
In a letter to the panel of politicians reviewing the proposed legislation, Deputy Mary Le Hegarat confirmed that the justice system is bracing for a significant rise in offending if the five draft laws are approved by the States Assembly.
The minister said the reforms are now expected to generate “about 275–300 new crimes” a year by the second year of implementation.
But while the scale of the impact is becoming clearer, the full investment plan to cope with the surge is still being finalised.
“Detailed analysis of the impact of the new laws, taking into account existing pressures and demands in the criminal justice system, is being developed,” said Deputy Le Hegarat, adding that high-level estimates for several parts of the system are still being worked on and will only be available shortly before the debate.
“In broad terms, it is expected that most of the functions of the criminal justice system will need an increase in staff,” she explained.
“The prison is expected to need new cell capacity reasonably soon, and there is also a likely requirement for more, and more modern, court facilities.”
La Moye is already operating at 92% occupancy, with its vulnerable prisoner unit – which houses most sexual offenders – running at around 95%.
Deputy Le Hegarat also confirmed that the States of Jersey Police Digital Forensics Unit will require more staff and “a significant increase in digital storage and systems” to cope with an anticipated rise in prosecutions for online offences.
The reforms include new offences covering intimate image abuse, deepfake pornography, stalking, strangulation and threats of sexual violence – many of which are expected to generate substantial volumes of digital evidence.
Meanwhile, the practical court framework required to operate some of the new powers is not yet in place. The minister acknowledged that detailed work to develop the necessary criminal procedure rules and rules of court “have not yet commenced in detail”.
Several of the draft laws rely on new protection orders – including stalking protection orders and emergency barring orders – which will require formal court rules before they can be implemented.
Deputy Le Hegarat made clear that several practical barriers must be overcome before the new laws can be brought into force.
While the Crime (Public Order) Amendment Law is described as having “probably no barrier to rapid implementation”, the other measures require further groundwork.
The Sexual Offences amendments depend on establishing new processes within the States police’s Digital Forensics Unit and delivering additional training on intimate image offences.
The proposed Harassment and Stalking Law and the Domestic Abuse amendments both require the drafting of new court rules to govern how protection orders will operate, alongside potential specialist training for judges and police in stalking cases.
Meanwhile, the standalone strangulation offence cannot proceed without the creation of a formal medical pathway to identify strangulation and preserve evidence, requiring coordination with the Health Department.
The States Assembly is due to debate the proposals later this month.
