In last month’s spending review from the Treasury, an extra £477 million was allocated to the courts as part of a bid to reduce the backlog in the Crown Court. The current backlog stands at around 60,000 cases and the Justice minister estimated that this investment will reduce that number to approximately 53,000 by March 2025.
On the surface those numbers sound quite impressive: half a billion quid and 7,000 cases is a lot but it still leaves a huge backlog. More context offers a clearer view of the situation:
From March 2019 to March 2020 the backlog increased from 33,290 to 41,045 (23%)
From March 2020 to March 2021 the backlog increased from 41,045 to 60,692 (48%)
In other words it is true that the backlog in the Crown Court was exacerbated by the pandemic but this most recent investment would not even keep the criminal justice system above water in ‘normal times’. If, in a best case scenario, the rate of increase was to return to pre-pandemic levels then three times as much money would be needed to simply keep the backlog in the same place it is now.
The money from the Treasury is a reflection of the fact that the coronavirus pandemic has put the criminal justice system in a worse state but, in reality, it has only exposed and exacerbated problems that already existed before we went into lockdown. For the past 10 years the administration of justice has been under attack in a systemic fashion and this sticking plaster does not even begin to cover the wounds.
This week on the podcast we talk about the guidance produced by public authorities. These documents are designed to help their staff make decisions but to what extent should they be a detailed and accurate representation of the law? Listen to the episode to find out.
Episode link: http://uklawweekly.com/2021-uksc-37/
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