myAIPMCovid and the criminal justice system: A record criminal case backlog and reliance on police-run remote hearings
Alison Hernandez | The Daily Police
The Government needs a plan for dealing with record court case backlogs
"Criminal courts have been affected as badly as any public service during coronavirus due to the difficulty of delivering a courtroom-based service while maintaining social distancing.
Demand for criminal courts fell, but their capacity reduced by even more
Overall, crime numbers have been substantially down, with reported crime almost a third lower in April and May than the pre-lockdown average. The police, along with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), have also made greater use of out-of-court options (such as cautions) for less serious offences to reduce the number of cases entering the court system that would be subject to long delays.
While a fall in demand has eased pressure on the courts system, its capacity has fallen even further. Social distancing requirements have made courthouses very difficult to operate in.
The overall result has been a reduction in the number of cases entering the court system. Between the end of March and the end of August, the average number of new cases per week received in the magistrates’ courts – the entry point to the criminal courts system – has been 40% down on the pre-coronavirus baseline.
However, while a fall in demand has eased pressure on the courts system, its capacity has fallen even further. Social distancing requirements have made courthouses very difficult to operate in.
In the Crown Court, the number of cases processed averaged 58% of pre-coronavirus levels between the end of March and the end of August; in the magistrates’ the figure was just 41%. As a result, case backlogs have grown substantially."
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Covid and the criminal justice system: A record criminal case backlog and reliance on police-run remote hearings, Alison Hernandez, The Daily Police, 2020