Social distancing requirements and lack of court capacity are affecting the number of delayed trialsIt could take a decade to clear the backlog of criminal cases, a report from the independent inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service has warned. Many lawyers say that the report confirms what they have been insisting for some time — that court closures, budget cuts and years of underfunding are coming home to roost. The dire situation has prompted controversial proposals: one QC suggests the part-privatisation of the CPS, and the lord chancellor, Robert Buckland, QC, and lord chief justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon, have mooted the suspension of the right to trial by jury. Cuts to the number of sitting days for judges that effectively forced the closure of up to half of all crown court courtrooms contributed to a backlog of 37,500

Source: The Times July 01, 2020 23:03 UTC