Tackling the criminal court backlogs will help ensure the public can access the swift justice that everyone needs, says the Law Society of England and Wales.
Investment into the criminal justice system could help free thousands of victims, witnesses and defendants from limbo as new figures published today by the Ministry of Justice show a record Crown Court backlog of more than 74,000 cases. Law Society president Richard Atkinson, said:
“Our criminal justice system is a vital public service and tackling the court backlogs will help restore its reputation around the world.
Everyone of us should be able to access justice in a timely fashion regardless of income or status. But right now, thousands of victims, witnesses and defendants are denied this public service by the slow speed of justice. Proper funding of our courts would free them from the legal limbo caused by the long wait for justice.
The Independent Review of the Criminal Courts and Independent Sentencing Review must be backed with investment and action in order for the government to meet its responsibility to champion and maintain our criminal justice system for the common good.”
He said that the backlog figures and the increasing pressure on prisons demonstrate the urgency of the crisis. He continued:
“Waiting for the outcome of the two reviews and however long it then takes to implement them is not sufficient. The government needs to act today to start reducing the number of cases coming into the criminal justice system.
A fair and functioning criminal justice system will also help ensure that the UK retains its reputation as a legal centre which is crucial to the country’s economy.”
