Cross-examination: an interview with Baljit Ubhey, Director Strategy and Policy, Crown Prosecution Service

For a view from the heart of our justice system, we interviewed Baljit Ubhey, Director Strategy and Policy, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

1. What’s your involvement with the justice system?

My involvement with justice has been a 30-year career which started when I joined the CPS as a trainee solicitor, then doing a wider variety of roles before becoming the Director of Strategy and Policy in 2019.

2. What was your first job in justice and what originally motivated you to work in the justice system?

I don’t have a very noble answer to be completely honest. The CPS offered me a training contract, and nobody else did, so I accepted it, thinking that this would be a good start to my legal career and expecting to move on fairly quickly. What I hadn’t expected, was that I would absolutely love my work. I was a junior lawyer working on special casework, working alongside fantastic senior legal minds that helped and supported me to grow. I found the work fascinating and never looked back. Young me didn’t even know about the opportunities within the CPS, so it absolutely wasn’t a plan. However, when I look back, my ‘A’ Level and degree choices, including a Masters in law specialising in ‘criminology and policing powers’ – there was an inherent or subliminal interest in justice and fairness.

I feel a huge sense of pride about working in the CPS. As soon as I was qualified, I was going to court and making decisions that make a fundamental difference in people’s lives and that is an enormous privilege. I really don’t think enough people know what an amazing role it is to work for the CPS and to be at the forefront of justice and fairness. For me, the CPS is the hidden gem at the centre of the justice system, where you can really make a difference.

3. What gives you most cause for optimism in your current role?

What always gives me cause for optimism are the people that work in justice, across the board. I see dedicated people who work incredibly hard in exceptionally challenging roles and environments. There are many challenges in the system and there have been some very tough periods for all parts of the system but I do believe the majority of people want to do a good job because they really care. There is a willingness to confront cultural issues and to modernise and that is vital for the criminal justice system, there is no room for complacency and those that work in justice need to be open to change and challenge, transparent about performance and listen, I feel I can do that in my job, that gives me optimism.

4. If you could fix one problem in the justice system, what would it be and why?

That’s a very hard question to answer. An obvious answer at the moment is resourcing, but I think it is more complicated than simply adding more people or resources. The explosion of digital data has had a huge impact on the whole system. The number of inexperienced staff in all parts of the system is also another challenge. The criminal justice is a complicated ecosystem, getting the different parts of it to consistently take a “systems thinking” approach would help. All agencies understanding the interdependencies that exist and the impact they can have on others is key. Stopping siloed thinking where it exists is probably the problem I would fix, for example we could do more to harmonise digital systems and collectively exploit technology changes to fight crime.

One way of avoiding a siloed approach is taking time to understand the system from a different perspective, when I was a Chief Crown Prosecutor, I went to visit prisons to understand what happens to a defendant as they go through the system. It was clear to me that although my role ended with the at the point a defendant was sentenced or acquitted, (unless there was an appeal) this was only part of the journey. Taking the time to learn about what goes on elsewhere has helped me make informed decisions.

5. Who or what has had the biggest influence on you and in what way?

My dad. He shared his mantra with Tony Blair “Education, Education, Education.” Having grown up in India, he always saw the value of education and never took it as an entitlement, and he instilled that in me. Education can lift you out of poverty and change your life outcomes.

Other than my dad, the best leadership that I have seen has always been when people are aspirational for the organisation, and not for personal advancement. I see people living out the values of the CPS and it has always motivated me to be an aspirational leader.

6. What’s the best advice you’ve ever had?

“Don’t get in your own way.” We are good at some things and less good at others. Having self-awareness means you can play to your strengths. This is particularly important for people with self-confidence issues because if you always talk yourself out of trying things, you will never succeed. You can be your own best friend or your own worst enemy.

7. What would you like to look back on and say you’ve achieved in relation to justice?

Thirty years feels like a significant landmark, so I have been reflecting on this recently. I am proud to have had so many roles across the CPS, from legal trainee to Chief Crown Prosecutor for several regions, including the whole of London, which I did for three years, and now nationally responsible for CPS Strategy and Policy.

The key driver for me in all these roles has been to hold public confidence at the heart of everything I have done. I have always tried to influence and increase the openness and transparency that we operate with and encourage space for scrutiny from interested groups as appropriate to avoid any kind of echo chamber approach to serving the public. As prosecutors, we need to be dispassionate, objective and discerning in the way we handle our cases. But I would like to look back and say that I have supported an inclusive and engaged approach to serving the public, which has delivered fairness and justice.