Criminal Proceedings: Standards

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on trial effectiveness in the Criminal Court Statistics release in the ‘Trial effectiveness at the criminal courts tool’. This tool contains data on both the magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court and covers the period 2010 to 2025: Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK.

An ineffective trial is one which does not go ahead on the scheduled trial start date and where a further listing is required. Data collection is crucial to understanding the key drivers of ineffective trials in order to address the underlying causes, as they can be caused by a wide range of factors, including action or inaction by one or more of the prosecution, the defence, or the court.

We asked Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts to make recommendations to tackle inefficiencies within the criminal courts. We are taking steps to deliver swifter justice with significant financial investment in the system – in record sitting days, new or refurbished court buildings and technology, and in legal professionals with significant investment in legal aid. In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister has already announced several initial measures we are taking forward to drive efficiency and reduce the number of ineffective trials. This includes the introduction of case coordinators in every Crown Court centre and supporting the Lady Chief Justice to publish the first ever National Listing Framework and pilot an AI Listing Assistant. We are also working with the Department for Transport and local authorities to expand the number of areas where prison transport vans can use bus lanes to reduce traffic delays - reducing wasted court time.