
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


When the Labour government came to power in 2024, it faced a crisis in the criminal courts, with ever-longer delays and a growing backlog of cases.
The Ministry of Justice's budget is now one third higher in real terms than in 2019, but according to the latest figures, crown court cases that are yet to be heard reached a record high of 78,329.
In October, the Justice Secretary David Lammy promised extra funding to increase the number of days that English and Welsh courts will sit next year.
But is throwing money at the problem enough? How can the courts service be improved, and should jury trials be limited to help clear the backlog?
Also in the programme:
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Contributors:
By BBC Radio 44
2020 ratings
When the Labour government came to power in 2024, it faced a crisis in the criminal courts, with ever-longer delays and a growing backlog of cases.
The Ministry of Justice's budget is now one third higher in real terms than in 2019, but according to the latest figures, crown court cases that are yet to be heard reached a record high of 78,329.
In October, the Justice Secretary David Lammy promised extra funding to increase the number of days that English and Welsh courts will sit next year.
But is throwing money at the problem enough? How can the courts service be improved, and should jury trials be limited to help clear the backlog?
Also in the programme:
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Contributors:

7,639 Listeners

876 Listeners

1,046 Listeners

5,520 Listeners

1,799 Listeners

1,763 Listeners

1,049 Listeners

1,920 Listeners

759 Listeners

393 Listeners

61 Listeners

262 Listeners

140 Listeners

48 Listeners

114 Listeners

58 Listeners

114 Listeners

684 Listeners

3,177 Listeners

21 Listeners

720 Listeners

3,336 Listeners

1,183 Listeners

45 Listeners

10 Listeners