Crown Court

The Crown Court outstanding caseload remains one of the biggest challenges facing the Criminal Justice System and we are committed to reducing the caseload and bringing waiting times down.

We want to make sure every victim has the swift access to justice they deserve - however, we recognise that some cases currently take longer to conclude. This is particularly true for rape victims, who on average wait over a year for their case to go to trial. That is why we have committed to fast-tracking rape cases through the courts, ensuring timely and effective justice for victims of these abhorrent offences.

More widely, as part of our efforts to hear more cases, we have increased funding so that 106,500 sitting days can be sat at the Crown Court this year - more than six out of the last seven years - and 500 days more than the 106,000 agreed by the previous government in June.

Alongside this, we invest consistently in the recruitment of c.1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions annually. Crown Court recruitment has been a particular priority and we have successfully increased the number of Circuit judges and Recorders in recent years. We also continue to use 18 Nightingale courtrooms across eight venues to hear more cases.

Most recently, we have announced plans to allow magistrates’ courts to hand down custodial sentences of up to 12 months for a single triable either way offence – doubling their current powers – from mid-November.

Allowing magistrates to deal with more cases will save up to 2,000 sitting days in the Crown Court, so that time can be reserved for the more serious and complex cases, helping address the Crown Court outstanding caseload.

To go further, the Government is considering what can be learned from the Lord Justice Auld’s 2001 Review, including looking again at ideas to help increase capacity in the Crown Court.