Jane Croft
The backlog of lawsuits is causing “serious concerns” among government inspectors who monitor the justice system, a new report concluded.
The study that analyzed the impact of the pandemic on the Criminal Justice System concluded that the greatest risk to criminal justice in England and Wales comes from the “unprecedented and very serious” build-up in court cases, which is having a ripple impact on all parts of the justice system.
The backlog of cases predates the coronavirus pandemic, but the situation was exacerbated by Covid-19 after the crown courts were closed and jury trials were temporarily suspended for two months last year. Since then, the number of hearings has dropped because two or three courtrooms with video are required for each trial due to social detachment measures.
The number of pending cases in the crown courts in England and Wales increased from 39,318 in early March to 53,318 in late November, according to the HM Courts and Tribunals Service, which opened a series of new temporary courts “Nightingale “to help relieve pressure on the system.
The government’s four justice inspectors – who monitor the probation service, the police, the prison and the Crown Prosecution Service – joined in the latest report to express “serious concerns” about the impact of Covid-19-related court delays in all of England and Wales.
Chief inspectors, who will testify before lawmakers on the justice committee on Tuesday, point out the difficulties and long waits at all stages of the criminal justice process that “benefit no one and risk harm to many”.
Justin Russell, chief probation officer for parole, said: “The Crown courts deal with the most serious cases, so this buildup worries us all. The Covid-19 pandemic meant severe delays and several cancellations throughout 2020, and this had a negative impact on everyone involved. “
David Lammy, shadow labor justice secretary, called the report “condemnatory” and said the government had “hesitated” allowing the accumulation to increase.
The Crown Prosecution Service said: “Safely reducing the backlog of lawsuits is vital if we are to relieve pressure on prosecutors and continue to do justice. We are urgently working with partners to achieve this. “
The Ministry of Justice said: “In recognition of the scale of the challenge we face, the government is investing £ 450 million to boost recovery in the courts and provide faster justice, and this is already paying off – the backlog of magistrates continues to fall and Crown Court cases reached pre-pandemic levels last month. “