Victims will get faster justice thanks to the courts sitting for a record number of days, the Deputy Prime Minister will announce in a speech today at the opening of the legal year (Wednesday 1 October).
- More trials will be heard as Deputy Prime Minister funds an extra 1,250 Crown Court sitting days
- Funding will help more cases to be heard this year, speeding up justice for victims
- Part of this Government's Plan for Change to get the justice system back on its feet
The Crown Court will be able to sit for a total of 111,250 days this year - up by 5,000 compared to last year and reaching the highest levels on record. This follows an announcement from the Deputy Prime Minister later today that the government will fund an extra 1,250 days.
This will mean more trials can be heard - tackling the backlog of cases, making sure victims see their day in court more quickly and holding more criminals to account.
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy, said:
The Crown Court backlog we inherited stands at over 78,000 and behind each case is a real person, waiting years for justice.
That is why we are acting with the biggest investment on record as part of our Plan for Change. An additional 1,250 sitting days will be allocated to the Crown Court this financial year, allowing it to hear many extra cases.
We know there is more to do, and generational reform that cannot wait, but this investment will help ease the torment and bring swifter justice to many more victims.
While extra sitting days will help to bring the backlog down in the short-term, only major reform will address the crisis in our courts.
Statistics released last week showed that there are now 78,329 Crown Court cases waiting to be heard. This means that victims are often waiting three or four years for their case to come to trial.
Sir Brian Leveson is conducting an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts to identify ways to reform the courts system. The first phase of his review has already been completed - the Deputy Prime Minister is carefully considering its proposals and the Government will respond in due course.
The review forms part of the government's commitment to safer streets by reducing the court backlog, speeding up hearings for victims and defendants, and rebuilding public confidence in the criminal justice system.
