Lawyers have demanded that courts return to full capacity after the coronavirus pandemic has passed, as it emerged the backlog of criminal cases had increased to more than 37,000 before the crisis began.
The Lord Chief Justice has halted all new jury trials in a bid to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus and while courts are using video and telephone hearings to maintain a limited operation, vast swathes of cases have been delayed.
Official figures released on Thursday showed a 13 per cent rise in the amount of work in the criminal justice system at the end of last year, before the system with thrown into chaos by the pandemic crisis.
Caroline Goodwin QC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, blamed government budget cuts for the mounting backlog under normal circumstances, and insisted major investment in justice is the only way to tackle the mountain of work.
The Ministry of Justice has been under fire for months over a policy of limiting court sitting days and not attempting to reduce the backlog, resulting in courtrooms sitting empty.
“The days are over of vainly justifying idle courts and adjourning cases ad infinitum”, said Ms Goodwin, calling for the courts to eventually return to “full capacity”.
“Once the pandemic is contained and some semblance of normality returning, the MoJ needs a total reversal of policy, an end to penny-pinching and an opening up all the criminal courts to keep the entire criminal system from crumbling.”
The MoJ figures from the last quarter of 2019 show the number of cases sent to the crown courts had risen by ten per cent, but there had been an eight per cent drop in cases finishing.
The backlog of work in the system rose from 33,113 at the end of 2018 to 37,434 at the close of last year.
Appearing before MPs this week, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland promised the courts would be “returning with gusto” when the pandemic is over.
He had said last month - before the crisis - that 4,700 sitting days would be added to crown courts for 2020-21, responding to a call by the Lord Chief Justice for a crackdown on delays to criminal trials.
At present, magistrates have been ordered not to deal with work that is not urgent and police are facing calls to reduce the arrest rates to ease the pressure on the system.
