Living in Limbo
Why These Delays Are a Crisis Within a Crisis
Rape Crisis England & Wales has launched Living in Limbo, their new report exposing something survivors have been saying for years: the criminal justice system is retraumatising people long before a trial ever begins.
The new report is stark - and painfully familiar, setting the stage for what follows.
Over 13,000 sexual offence cases are pending in the Crown Court.
This is a 66% rise since 2022.
Survivors wait an average of 499 days for trial.
1 in 3 rape trials are delayed at least once.
Some see up to 6 postponements.
Each delay impacts mental health, leading some to withdraw or pause their lives for years. This is the reality many face. Many say the experience of navigating the system has been worse than the abuse itself. That’s what’s at stake.
A Jade Blue Reflection
If my trial had not been dropped just 13 days before it was to begin, I would have waited 1,317 days - 3 years, 7 months, and 7 days of uncertainty - for my day in court. That is what "living in limbo" really looks like.
Years of your life held hostage by delays, chaotic listing practices, and a system that treats survivors as an afterthought.
Why this matters
The system isn’t failing by accident - it’s failing because of chronic under-investment, outdated processes, and a culture that accepts last-minute postponements as normal. The use of floating trials - where rape and sexual offence trials aren’t allocated a courtroom or judge - is one of the clearest examples. Rape Crisis England & Wales FOI data shows a 257% increase in floating trials over the last decade. Only 34% went ahead on their scheduled day last year.
This isn’t just inefficient; it is actively harmful, underscoring the urgency of immediate reforms.
What Rape Crisis are calling for
End the practice of floating trials
Proper investment in courts, judges, and specialist support
Accountability for chronic backlogs
Systems built around dignity, certainty, and care - not chaos
Why M.Y.H is backing this
For many, the harm does not end with the crime; it is deepened by years of uncertainty and imposed silence.
Delays that fracture mental health. Delays that silence people. Delays that make justice feel out of reach.
Living in Limbo puts national data behind what survivors have been living and carrying in real time. It’s an urgent call to rebuild the justice system around the people it claims to protect.
What you can do
Email your MP
Share the #LivingInLimbo campaign.
Read the full report.
Keep survivor experiences at the centre of the conversation.
