Justice system ‘close to breaking point’, PAC warns

The criminal justice system is overstretched and ‘close to breaking point’, according to a new report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The PAC concluded that the system is letting down witnesses and victims due to delays and inefficiencies. The report highlights wide variations across the country, saying that victims face a ‘postcode lottery’ in their access to justice.

It suggests that costs are ‘being shunted from one part of the system to another’ and warns that the Ministry of Justice ‘has been too slow to recognise where the system is under stress, and to take action to deal with it’.

The PAC also raised concerns regarding greater devolution of responsibility for criminal justice, suggesting that it could risk adding more complexity to an ‘already fragmented’ system.

Meg Hillier, chair of the PAC, said: “The system is overstretched and disjointed. Victims of crime are entitled to justice yet they are at the mercy of a postcode lottery for access to that justice.

“About two-thirds of Crown Court trials are delayed or do not go ahead at all and only 55 per cent of those who have been a witness say they would be prepared to do so again. These are damning statistics.

“The government has dragged its heels in addressing these problems. The Ministry is now seeking to reform the system but there is more action it can take immediately to benefit struggling regions, and therefore taxpayers.”