Statement from Sir Brian Leveson on the Government response.
Sir Brian Leveson, Chair of the Independent Review of
Criminal Courts, said:
“In more than fifty years working in the criminal justice system,
I have never seen pressure on the courts at such an unacceptable
level. The rising backlog in the Crown Court means victims,
witnesses and defendants are waiting months, sometimes years, for
cases to come to trial – unable to move on with their lives. It
is no exaggeration to say that the system stands on the brink of
collapse.
“The evidence is clear that more sitting days and greater
efficiency will not rescue the position on their own: at present,
the number of outstanding cases is growing at a faster pace than
the system can dispose of them and there is already a shortage of
judges, lawyers and court officials to staff any increased
sitting days. There is no silver bullet. The recommendations I
put forward represented a package of reforms designed to
transform our courts into a system that can provide appropriate
and fair decision-making in a timely fashion. How otherwise
can we restore the position so that justice is not delayed for
years?
“I agree that system-wide inefficiency is undermining the ability
of the criminal court to function, exacerbating the strain caused
by the demanding case load. Part Two of my Review will set out
how the system can confront the deep-rooted operational issues
that have been allowed to persist. It will examine measures to
overhaul governance, strengthen collaboration between agencies,
reform case management in the courts, and harness smarter
technology to drive meaningful change across the criminal justice
system. These improvements are part of the package but I repeat
they would not, on their own, be sufficient to change the overall
position.”
