Women in Westminster: In Conversation With Jaswant Narwal
For over 30 years Jaswant Narwal has worked for the Crown Prosecution Service, prosecuting some of the nation’s most challenging and high-profile criminal cases. As part of our Women in Westminster series, PoliticsHome sat down with Narwal to learn more about why she believes in people-powered justice
As the chief crown prosecutor for London North, Jaswant Narwal is often responsible for securing convictions that deliver justice for victims and protect the public from harm.
However, during Narwal’s sit-down conversation with PoliticsHome, it is apparent that she has a nuanced and holistic view of the criminal justice system and is motivated by much more than achieving courtroom victories. Most importantly, she never loses sight of the fact that the system is always essentially about people − whether they are victims, professionals, or defendants.
“Justice is intensely personal,” Narwal tells us. “We’re dealing with people, not widgets. If we ever forget that, then the entire system falters.”
It is a lesson that Narwal herself never forgets. Her career over more than three decades has been defined by a commitment to foreground people in a system that can sometimes feel remote and impersonal. She sees justice as a tool for meaningful change, not simply a mechanism for punishment. It is a worldview that has its roots in her upbringing.
“Growing up in Bradford in a working-class family, I saw the law intersect with people’s lives, sometimes for the wrong reasons,” Narwal explains. “I witnessed National Front marches, police interactions with the community, and other things that made me want to do the right thing − not for money but for justice, especially for those who didn’t have a voice.”
That desire to speak on behalf of the voiceless led to Narwal devoting her entire career to working in public service. It has also informed her important work on sexual violence, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and so-called “honour-based” abuse. She has actively worked to ensure that such crimes are not only successfully prosecuted but also to trigger wider conversations about what is and is not acceptable in modern British society.
She cites the example of child marriage, where a recent change in UK law now prohibits marriage under the age of 18. While legislative reform was necessary, Narwal highlights the broader cultural shift required to ensure such laws resonate within our diverse society.
“Acceptance of the rule of law is the cornerstone of democracy, but for that to happen, you need buy-in from communities, not just enforcement,” she says. “Prosecuting offenses is critical, but it’s not the only way to tackle societal issues. We need to shift the culture and attitudes that lead to these crimes in the first place.”
Narwal recognises that prosecutions are simply one lever for driving positive change, albeit an important one. Narwal consistently returns to her core theme of the importance of engaging the public and public institutions in conversations that shift the dial when it comes to understanding and tackling the root causes of crime.
In particular, when it comes to addressing violence against women and girls, Narwal is clear that tackling societal issues is every bit as important as the vital work that takes place inside police stations and courtrooms. And while she acknowledges significant progress has been made, Narwal is acutely aware that shifting social attitudes can often be a slow, uneven, and sometimes frustrating process.
“When I started, there were practices and attitudes that would simply be unacceptable today, and that’s encouraging,” she says. “But we mustn’t be complacent. Progress isn’t linear − it requires constant effort, funding, training, and awareness to keep pushing forward.”
Achieving the progress that Narwal wishes to see will never be delivered by one person working alone. It also requires input from a diverse range of voices that are unafraid to speak out and challenge those who have traditionally controlled power. From marginalised young people and women to victims and those from minority communities, Narwal’s core theme of finding and using your voice comes across as a golden thread throughout our conversation.
It is also an outlook that extends to her support of others who are working in the legal profession.
“Women need to ‘beat their drums,’” she says about those she now supports and mentors. “I’ve seen too many brilliant women undersell themselves. Women need to own their accomplishments and believe in their worth.”
It is striking that the women who have inspired Narwal throughout her life are also those who were prepared to “beat drums.” One woman who struck a particular chord with Narwal as a child was Jayaben Desai, the Indian-born trade unionist who was a prominent leader of the strike at the Grunwick photo processing plant in the 1970s.
“Over the years, I’ve read more about her, but even at the time, I remember watching it on TV and being struck by how she spoke her courage, and eloquence,” Narwal says of Desai. “These women, who looked like the women in my family and extended family, were taking on the establishment with such bravery.”
It appears that those qualities − bravery and a willingness to challenge the way systems work – are core values that Narwal has adopted and applied through her work. Although she now operates as part of the establishment, she has clearly lost none of her passion for change which led to her initially embarking on a legal career.
And it appears that she is far from finished, with a continuing commitment to help shape a fairer and more inclusive future.
“Ultimately, the goal is a justice system where everyone feels they’ll be treated fairly and where perpetrators are held to account,” she says. “One where society as a whole understands that violence against women and girls is never acceptable.”
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