Shabana Mahmood comments on the record high crown court backlog revealed today
Shabana Mahmood MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, commenting on the latest criminal court statistics which reveal the highest crown courts backlog on record, said:
“The fact that the courts backlog is at another record high is a direct result of 13 years of Conservative mismanagement and disastrous political decisions. With the number of Crown Prosecution Service staff still lower than in 2010, those working in the system have been left with their hands tied behind their backs, unable to deal with the soaring number of cases.
“But crucially, behind every single one of these statistics is a person who is being denied justice. This is unacceptable and urgently needs addressing.
“The next Labour government will work at speed to deliver justice and protect communities by increasing the number of prosecutors to put criminals behind bars and by opening specialist rape courts to tackle this shameful backlog.”
Ends
Notes:
The number of outstanding cases in the crown courts now stands at 64,709 at Q2 2023. This is the highest number on record, and represents a 90 per cent increase since the same time period in 2019.
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