Displaying items by tag: backlog of cases

Major changes to the justice system in England and Wales are being considered as justice secretary David Lammy proposes restricting the right to a jury trial for many criminal cases. Only those accused of the most serious offences - such as rape, murder, and manslaughter - would be guaranteed a jury; all other defendants facing serious charges would be tried by a judge alone. The proposals aim to address record delays and a backlog of more than 78,000 Crown Court cases, which could rise to more than 100,000 by 2030 without intervention. Supporters say urgent reform is needed to ensure timely justice for victims, but the chair of the Criminal Bar Association, which represents criminal barristers, has said: ‘Their actions will destroy a criminal justice system that has been the pride of this country for centuries, and destroy justice as we know it. Juries are not the cause of the backlog. The cause is the systematic underfunding and neglect that has been perpetrated by this government and its predecessors for years.’

English and Welsh barristers will go on an indefinite, uninterrupted strike from 5 September. Recently they have been striking on alternate weeks in a dispute over pay, working conditions and legal aid funding. The strikes will delay thousands of cases, leaving victims and the accused waiting longer for justice. The Criminal Bar Association said the strike action was a last resort, after warning signs coming for many years. Barristers have endured their income collapsing, cuts, and underfunding. Their income has decreased 28% since 2006. Court cases are not going ahead because there are not enough barristers to defend or prosecute. A solution would be an injection of money into the backlog of cases that barristers are working on (currently 60,000 cases). It would cost the government £1.1m per month. It is costing much more for the courts to sit empty.