Justice reforms to be rolled out faster as Justice Secretary sets out changes to Courts Bill
Victims will get the fast and fair justice they deserve under changes to court reforms, the Justice Secretary has announced today.
- Plans for some criminal trials to be heard by judge alone to be scrapped under changes to court reforms
- Wider changes to criminal courts to cut the record number of cases waiting to be heard will be fast-tracked
- ‘Victims will not be waiting endlessly for justice’ Justice Secretary pledges
Plans for some criminal trials to be heard by judge alone will be scrapped, meaning more serious cases will continue to be heard in front of a jury, keeping juries the cornerstone of British justice.
This will mean the Justice Secretary can be fully focussed on fast-tracking the broader changes needed to drive down the record number of cases waiting years to be heard – fixing a crisis that is leaving too many victims in limbo before they see their perpetrator in the dock.
Millions will be invested in new technology to modernise the outdated courts and slash inefficiencies, judges will be given the resources they need to hear more cases, and vital structural reforms will deliver a court system fit for the 21st Century.
This will give magistrates the power to hand out longer sentences, meaning the courts can deal with cases quicker and get victims justice faster.
Technical and lengthy fraud and financial offences will be allowed to be heard by a judge alone, freeing up jurors from the personal and financial burdens created by complex, months-long trials.
And courts will have the final say over where cases should be heard, preventing criminals accused of relatively minor crimes trying to game the system by electing a jury trial in an attempt to avoid prison.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Norris, said:
This government inherited criminal courts on the brink of collapse, with victims waiting years for their day in court. I remain committed to bringing down the backlog and delivering swifter justice for those who so desperately need it. But I have heard the strength of feeling on the proposals for increasing the number of judge-alone trials in the Crown Court and have made the decision to change course.
This allows us to start that work far earlier, ensuring that under this Government we do not have victims waiting endlessly for justice.
Justice delayed is justice denied, and I am committed to maximising efficiencies in our system alongside record investment. I remain committed to structural reform which is crucial if we are to bring down the backlog.
The changes announced today will be made to the Courts and Tribunals Bill, due back in Parliament later this month.
When it returns, the government will also make a statutory commitment to consider any impacts of the structural reforms on ethnic minorities and people of different backgrounds, led by an independent reviewer.
Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman KC said:
Justice delayed is justice denied. We must take action to bring down the backlog using every lever we have. That’s why we will set out, in our response to Lord Leveson’s report, the steps we are taking to make the courts more efficient.
Whether that is using AI to support the listing of cases, rolling out further virtual hearings, or taking steps to ensure defendants arrive to court on time, we will turn the tide and deliver the swifter justice victims deserve.
Today’s announcement comes just weeks after new figures confirmed the backlog in the Crown Court had reached a record high. Nearly 81,000 cases are now stuck waiting for justice and of these almost a third had been waiting for a year or longer.
No single measure can fix years of underinvestment and decades where the system has not kept up with the pace of change. That is why the government is doing all it can to get victims fairer, faster justice – long-term reform, underpinned by vital efficiency and record investment.
Notes to editors:
- The Government will publish its full response to both parts of Lord Leveson’s review in the coming weeks.
- The Bill will return to the House of Commons on 13 October.