- New recommendations to tackle record court backlog and speed
up justice for victims
- Recommendations represent the most significant reform of
criminal courts in a generation designed to transform the justice
system into one that delivers swift, proportionate and fair
justice
- Key recommendations include a redesigning of the Crown Court
Sir Brian Leveson has today unveiled proposals for the most
sweeping transformation of criminal courts in a generation. The
blueprint recommended by the former senior judge tackles head-on
the crisis that has left victims waiting years for justice. With
delayed justice impacting all aspects of the criminal justice
system, the solution is one of equal magnitude.
Tasked by the Lord Chancellor last December with rescuing a
system on the brink of collapse, Sir Brian's review proposes
fundamental changes to the traditional court structure to slash
waiting times and deliver justice at speed.
Despite record funding for the Crown Court, the review found that
demand for court time continues to outstrip available capacity,
causing significant delays for victims, witnesses and defendants.
The review has concluded that money alone cannot fix the problem,
and that radical structural reform is needed.
Sir Brian Leveson, Chair of the Independent Review of the
Criminal Courts, said:
"Our criminal justice system stands at a critical juncture.
It is well recognised that justice delayed is justice denied but
the record and rising court backlog means victims, witnesses and
defendants are waiting months, sometimes years, for cases to come
to trial – unable to move on with their lives. This situation is
simply unacceptable.
"The recommendations I have put forward represent a cohesive
package of reforms designed to transform our courts into a system
that provides appropriate and fair decision-making. It also takes
a proportionate approach to trial processes while maintaining the
fundamental right to a fair trial. These are not small
tweaks but fundamental changes that will seek to make the system
fit for the 21st century.”
Among the key recommendations are reclassification of certain
offences, changes to the structure of the Crown Court including a
new division within it to hear some cases related to either way
offences, and greater use of Out of Court Resolutions.
Key recommendations include:
- Increased use of Out of Court Resolutions, including
increased use of cautions, conditional cautions and other
available mechanisms to divert more cases away from the courts
- Removal of the right to elect trial in cases where the
maximum sentence is two years' imprisonment with reclassification
of some offences to ‘summary only'
- New division of the Crown Court with two magistrates and a
judge to handle less serious offences
- Maximum sentence reduction increased to 40% for guilty pleas
at first opportunity, encouraging quicker case resolution
- Judge-alone trials introduced either by election on the part
of the defendant or for the most complex cases
The proposals aim to create a more proportionate allocation of
limited court resources, meaning more cases will be heard in the
magistrates' courts and jury trials will be reserved for the most
serious cases.
With around 90% of criminal cases already handled in the
magistrates' court, these reforms extend this approach, with the
new division in the Crown Court seeing two magistrates sitting
with a judge to oversee offences such as some theft, burglary,
and fraud offences.
While the review recommends immediate implementation of key
reforms, it acknowledges that many of the changes will take time
to introduce, and all must be managed carefully to ensure the
public is never put at risk. A second report focusing on court
efficiency will be published later in 2025.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Between 2013 and 2019, Sir Brian Leveson was President of the
Queen's Bench Division. He practiced at the bar before
being appointed to the High Court bench in 2000 and the Court of
Appeal in 2006. He has held the posts of Senior Presiding
Judge, Chair of the Sentencing Council and, latterly, Head of
Criminal Justice.
- The Independent Review of the Criminal Courts was announced on 12
December 2024.
- The review team has conducted over 200 meetings with criminal
justice partners and received more than 220 submissions from
interested parties.
