Courts Struggle to Process Half a Million Backlog of Cases

Lawyers are calling for more capacity in the legal system as the backlog of criminal cases tops half a million.


Image by Edward Lich from Pixabay
Image by Edward Lich from Pixabay
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LONDON (Within The Law) - The justice system is struggling under the weight of a half-million backlog in criminal cases as it struggles to recover from lockdown. That’s the findings of raw data published by HM Courts & Tribunal Service. 

Their report shows that as of 23rd August there were a total of 46,467 cases outstanding in the Crown court of England and Wales and a staggering 517,782 in Magistrates courts. This represents a 16% increase in the size of the backlog since 15th March. 

By July, the total number of outstanding cases had risen year on year by 29% in Crown Courts and 48% in the magistrates court. 

The scale of the figures highlights the enormous task of trying of reducing the backlog that has mushroomed since the shutdown of many courts. Even with the courts opening again social distancing restrictions mean holding trials remains challenging. 

The one bit of relief is that lockdown led to a reduction in criminal activities with the number of court receipts in April showing a marked decline. Outstanding magistrates court cases have been falling from their peak of 525,000 in July and August witnessed more disposals than receipts. 

However, the backlog continues to be high in the Crown Court with receipts outstripping disposals. 

With the government extending maximum remand times to give prosecutors more time to see cases, lawyers have called on the Government to build court capacity by extending the number of Nightingale Courts, maximising normal court hours, and avoiding restrictions on judges sitting while there are available courtrooms. 

Commenting on the figures a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: “The new video technology we rolled out earlier this year has been used in thousands of trials and we’re already seeing the number of outstanding cases in the magistrates’ courts falling as a result.”

In addition to the extended custody plans the Ministry is also rolling out plans to recruit more court staff and is exploring the idea of COVID operating hours in which courts may operate outside of the normal weekday operating times. 

(Written by Tom Cropper, Edited by Klaudia Fior)

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