Fewer juries part of bid to cut British backlog
Britain’s justice secretary has announced plans to reduce the number of criminal cases that will be heard with juries, in an effort to reduce backlogs in the system.
David Lammy, who is also deputy prime minister, made the announcement in the House of Commons today (2 December).
The justice ministry said that, under the changes, around one-quarter of cases that would otherwise have to wait to be heard by a jury would be “fast-tracked” to go before a judge. It added that this would free up jury trials for where they were most needed.
The changes will include:
- New ‘swift courts’, where judges will hear cases with a likely sentence of three years or less,
- Handing courts the power to decide where cases are heard,
- Guaranteed jury trials for the most serious and almost all indictable offences – including rape, murder, aggravated burglary, blackmail, people trafficking, grievous bodily harm, and the most serious drug offences,
- Judge-only trials for particularly technical and lengthy fraud and financial offences, and
- Giving magistrates the power to hand down sentences of up to 18 months so more cases can be heard by magistrates.
‘Crumbling system’
Lammy told MPs that his government had inherited a justice system in crisis, adding that victims were waiting “far too long” to get their case to court.
“The crumbling system we inherited has resulted in a Crown Court backlog of nearly 80,000 and rising. Justice delayed is justice denied,” he stated.
Lammy said that the changes would make the system “faster and fairer”.
The British government also announced an annual increase of £34 million in funding for criminal legal-aid barristers, on top of a boost of up to £92 million a year boost for criminal solicitors confirmed earlier this week.