From Backlog to Momentum
Serious funding and structural change signal an attempt to reset the pace of justice
“For too long, victims have faced unacceptable delays and growing backlogs. This isn’t good enough.”
Yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy set out a vision to bring the criminal justice system into the 21st century - pulling what he calls three levers: investment, reform and modernisation.
The message is clear: Delay has become normalised. Backlog has become embedded. That era is ending.
Investment at Scale
Unlimited Crown Court sitting days - the highest ever funded.
Magistrates’ Courts funded to operate at full capacity.
A £2.78bn courts settlement next year, with multi-year stability for the first time.
£287m to repair and modernise court buildings.
More sitting days mean more cases heard. More cases heard means fewer victims left waiting in limbo.
Reform to Bear Down on Backlog
Following recommendations from Sir Brian Leveson, reforms include:
A new Judge-only Bench Division for cases likely to receive sentences up to three years (with rape, murder and the most serious offences remaining before juries).
Around three-quarters of Crown Court trials continuing with juries.
Expanded “Blitz” courts to clear older cases - beginning with assaults on emergency workers in London.
A National Listing Framework to end postcode variation and bring consistency to how cases are scheduled.
The ambition: reduce trial times, increase certainty, restore rhythm to a system that has stalled.
Modernisation That Speeds Things Up
A new AI-supported courts assistant (J-AI) to improve listing decisions.
Expanded use of AI for transcription and case management.
More video hearings to reduce unnecessary delay.
Audio recording in all Magistrates’ Courts.
Victims can request a free copy of the sentencing remarks without attending court.
Prisoner escort vehicles fast-tracked through bus lanes to prevent late arrivals and adjournments.
The principle is simple: If technology can remove friction, use it. If it saves time without sacrificing fairness, scale it.
Why This Matters
The average victim waits over 250 days to see justice done. In rape cases, the wait is over 400 days. These are not abstract statistics. They are months - sometimes years - of uncertainty. Swifter justice isn’t about rushing outcomes. It’s about reducing the harm caused by delay.
If modernisation truly tackles backlog while strengthening transparency and victims’ rights, that is a shift worth making. The scale is serious. The follow-through must be too. Record funding. Real structural change. A system being reshaped, not patched.
But real reform cannot be built solely around systems or efficiency metrics. It must be shaped by the lived experience of those who move through it.
Victims understand better than anyone where delay bites, where communication breaks down, and where trust is lost. Meaningful consultation - not symbolic engagement - will be critical.
