Backlogs in the justice system need to be dealt with as a matter of urgency
British society is underpinned by the rule of law. The principle that justice needs to be done and seen to be done is one that is fundamental to the workings of the legal system.
However, justice is not being done, evidence that the current justice system is broken.
In 2024, 59 per cent of victims of adult rape dropped out of the justice system because research shows they could not bear the trauma any longer, according to a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report.
MPs warn that court backlogs are having a devastating impact on victims of crime and their families.
Prolonging the torment faced by victims of crime is not acceptable. They have already endured enough and delays only serve to deepen the trauma. The Victims Commissioner warns that victims feel that justice is “out of reach”.
It also means that communities are being left vulnerable with criminals wandering the streets.
What message does it also send to other criminals when the most serious of cases are caught up in a court backlog. Little wonder that lower level crime is blighting communities up and down the country.
The Ministry of Justice may have accepted the PAC inquiry that justice delayed is justice denied but waiting for Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts would only prolong the suffering of victims.
As the PAC warns, waiting for the Leveson Review, which will not finally report till Autumn 2025, will delay reforms by many months. The Government needs to come up with a plan of action to deal with the backlog in the courts system and see that justice is done swiftly.