Submission to the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts

“The criminal justice system in England and Wales is currently experiencing a well-documented crisis with court delays and backlogs, a prison population at maximum capacity, and under-resourced services in the community (most particularly, probation). These separate elements of the system should work together, as part of a whole.

“Instead, they are currently working within what the Institute for Government has termed a ‘harmful feedback loop’. Changes to practice in the criminal courts cannot be explored without consideration of their impact elsewhere, and vice versa.

“Reform in the criminal courts may facilitate a more virtuous, rather than vicious, cyclical relationship whereby solutions ease systemic issues, reducing demand on the limited resources available to the criminal justice system.”

Read the full submission