The warning comes as the government push ahead with the largest prison expansion in 100 years
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The Ministry of Justice’s target to reduce caseload from more than 67,000 cases to 53,000 by March 2025 is ‘no longer achievable’, according to a parliamentary watchdog.
The National Audit Office (NAO) says that the government’s 2021 target cannot be met. They say backlog has been increasing since the target was established and the pace the cases have been reducing is not.
The backlog refers to all cases waiting to be heard or completed. Currently, there are 67,573 cases in the list.
Waiting list for cases has grown
It takes around 22 months or 683 days on average from the offence being committed to the case being completed at the Crown Court. Over a quarter of cases (27%) have been waiting for a year or more. Cases waiting for two years or more has more than tripled since June 2021.
NAO says that the backlog increases the risk of cases collapsing.
“Victims and witnesses may withdraw or their recollection of events may fade, impacting the mental wellbeing of those involved.”
The backlog has an impact on the mental health of victims, witnesses and defendants as long waits increment distress, according to the watchdog.
Currently almost a fifth (18%) of cases awaiting trial are sexual offences. Cases involving violence against a person are nearly a third (32%).
NAO also says the caseload also impacts the crisis in prison capacity. The population in jails last year reached more than 16,000, the highest in 50 years. Around two-thirds are still awaiting trial.
Reducing the backlog
The Ministry of Justice says that it is investing more in the system to allocate extra spending on judges and temporary courtrooms. It is also bringing more remote hearings.
Still, courtrooms are frequently taken out of action due to problems like leaks or heating failures. The Ministry of Justice estimated that 50% of crown court courtrooms were at risk of sudden closure at any time, according to findings in 2022.
The government is pushing ahead with the largest prison expansion programme in 100 years. They say 10,000 of the 20,000 additional places to be delivered by the end of 2025.
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HeadlineGovernment’s plan to reduce court backlog cannot be met, says watchdog
Short HeadlineCourt backlog reduction target "cannot be met"
StandfirstParliamentary watchdog says reducing more than 67,000 cases to 53,000 by March 2025 is "no longer achievable"
The Ministry of Justice’s target to reduce caseload from more than 67,000 cases to 53,000 by March 2025 is ‘no longer achievable’, according to a parliamentary watchdog.
The National Audit Office (NAO) says that the government’s 2021 target cannot be met. They say backlog has been increasing since the target was established and the pace the cases have been reducing is not.
The backlog refers to all cases waiting to be heard or completed. Currently, there are 67,573 cases in the list.
Waiting list for cases has grown
It takes around 22 months or 683 days on average from the offence being committed to the case being completed at the Crown Court. Over a quarter of cases (27%) have been waiting for a year or more. Cases waiting for two years or more has more than tripled since June 2021.
NAO says that the backlog increases the risk of cases collapsing.
“Victims and witnesses may withdraw or their recollection of events may fade, impacting the mental wellbeing of those involved.”
The backlog has an impact on the mental health of victims, witnesses and defendants as long waits increment distress, according to the watchdog.
Currently almost a fifth (18%) of cases awaiting trial are sexual offences. Cases involving violence against a person are nearly a third (32%).
NAO also says the caseload also impacts the crisis in prison capacity. The population in jails last year reached more than 16,000, the highest in 50 years. Around two-thirds are still awaiting trial.
Reducing the backlog
The Ministry of Justice says that it is investing more in the system to allocate extra spending on judges and temporary courtrooms. It is also bringing more remote hearings.
Still, courtrooms are frequently taken out of action due to problems like leaks or heating failures. The Ministry of Justice estimated that 50% of crown court courtrooms were at risk of sudden closure at any time, according to findings in 2022.
The government is pushing ahead with the largest prison expansion programme in 100 years. They say 10,000 of the 20,000 additional places to be delivered by the end of 2025.
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