The Government is considering “fundamental reform” in the courts including axing jury trials in some criminal cases, as the crown court backlog reached a new record high of 73,105.
Figures released on Thursday reveal the backlog has grown to almost double the 38,000 level it was at by the end of 2019.
In response, the Ministry of Justice has announced a major review of the criminal courts, to be led by retired High Court judge Sir Brian Leveson.
He is set to consider new “intermediate courts”, with a judge and two magistrates instead of a jury, which would deal with allegations that cannot be dealt with in magistrates courts but are not among the most serious crimes.
Sir Brian will also be asked to consider increasing the sentencing powers of magistrates, allowing the lower courts taking on some of the crown court workload, and “reclassifying some offences”.
The MoJ said the review will also look whether “technology can be used to drive efficiencies and improve how the Crown Court functions”.
The newly-release data shows the crown court backlog in England and Wales stood at 73,105 at the end of September, having risen by ten per cent since last year.
The department published the figures for the first time in several months on Thursday amid concerns over inaccuracies with the data.
It means past court backlog data has also been revised.
The government has been embroiled in a row over the past few weeks over court sitting days, after the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said there had been an option to sit 6,500 extra days this year, but Labour ministers had not taken it.
The MoJ said today that the backlog of cases in the crown court would continue to rise, even if the courts sat at maximum capacity.
“Despite the efforts of judges, lawyers and court staff, we simply cannot continue with the status quo”, said Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
“We require once-in-a-generation reform of a courts system stretched to breaking point.
“In many cases, victims are waiting years to see their perpetrator put before a judge, and we know for many victims, justice delayed is as good as justice denied.
“We owe it to victims to find bold, innovative approaches that will speed up justice, deliver safer streets and send a clear message to criminals that they will quickly face the consequences of their actions.”