A blog by Deputy Commissioner James Dipple-Johnstone of the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office for police, the criminal justice system and victims’ support groups.
There can be few more important areas of our lives where our wider rights and our information rights combine than in the criminal justice arena.
The UK Government has recently supported recommendations made by the Justice Select Committee’s inquiry, Disclosure of Evidence in Criminal Cases on the use of personal data in criminal cases.
One of these recommendations states there should be ‘clear guidelines on handling sensitive material.’
Victims of serious sexual offence crimes are particularly vulnerable, and it’s crucial that the rights they have in law are upheld in order to maintain confidence in the UK’s criminal justice system and their continued willingness to come forward and report crimes.
But we are also aware of the challenges faced by the authorities in order to balance the right to a fair trial with the privacy rights of victims.
Read the full blog post on the ICO’s site.