They say justice delayed is justice denied. By this metric, thousands of victims in our country are being denied justice, with no end in sight.
Timely justice should not simply be an aspiration, but the foundation of any functioning justice system.
The outgoing Lord Chief Justice gave evidence to the House of Lords constitution committee and highlighted the ongoing crisis.
London, he noted, faces a particular problem. At the end of December there were 16,050 outstanding cases in the Crown Courts in London. Nationally, 29 per cent of cases had been outstanding for more than 12 months. Each one of these 16,050 cases represents the lives of numerous victims, witnesses, and defendants put on hold.
The cruel impact of this wait on victims and families cannot be overstated.
They are asked to live in limbo, unable to move on or properly heal from their trauma. We increasingly hear statistics about the number of victims who have withdrawn from the justice system. But victims often express to me that they feel they have been forced out of a justice system which is simply demanding too much.
We urge victims to come forward. We need them to help bring dangerous offenders to justice. Yet we are unable to guarantee them a safe, swift and professional service.
The system is not in crisis, it is beyond crisis. In London, we have been sounding the alarm for years now. Government must learn to listen to those who have the solutions — to victims themselves, to the specialists who support them, and to other countries which have already implemented innovative ideas. I have long called for crucial steps like specialist courts for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence, and a victim care hub model.
It is important to acknowledge that there is not one simple solution. In London, every part of the system needs overhauling. Courts are crumbling. Cases are pulled at the last minute because they haven’t been properly prepared. We can’t find enough judges, advocates or staff. But issues are not insurmountable. We need leadership, we need ambition, and we need long-term investment and commitment. Victims deserve nothing less.
