Criminal Justice System: Capacity

In a statement to the House of Commons, the minister outlined the government's actions to address the crisis in the criminal justice system that they inherited. The minister explained that when the current government came to power, the prisons were on the brink of disaster, and had they collapsed, the consequences would have been catastrophic, with courts forced to cancel trials, the police unable to make arrests, and a total breakdown of law and order. The minister stated that the previous government was aware of the problem but failed to take the necessary action, instead choosing to call an election. As a result, the current government had to take difficult but necessary steps, including bringing forward the release dates of some prisoners serving standard determinate sentences from 50% of time served in prison to 40%. The minister then announced a new measure to address the specific issue of the remand population in prisons, which has reached a record high of 17,000, nearly one in every five prisoners. To address this, the government will extend the sentencing powers of magistrates' courts from 6 months to 12 months for a single triable either-way offence. This will enable more cases to be heard in the magistrates' courts, freeing up capacity in the Crown courts to tackle the record backlog of cases. The minister emphasized that this measure will not increase the maximum sentence for specific offences, but rather expand the courts that can hand down sentences of 6 to 12 months' imprisonment. This is expected to free up the equivalent of 2,000 sitting days within the Crown court each year, in addition to the 500 sitting days already funded by the government. The minister acknowledged that this measure will result in a slight increase in the overall prison population, but by addressing the remand population in the reception prisons, it will create capacity where it is most needed. The minister stated that this is an important step in the government's long-term plan to ensure that the country never faces a crisis like the one they inherited again, and that it will help make justice swifter and ensure more criminals receive the punishment they deserve.