Victims across Yorkshire are being urged to participate in a newly launched survey by the Victims’ Commissioner.
This initiative comes amid growing concerns that lengthy delays within the criminal justice system are leading to an increased number of victims walking away, and placing strain on the services designed to support them.
The survey, which is open to all victims whose cases have resulted in charges by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), aims to outline the impact that prolonged court waiting times are having on victims.
How bad are court delays in Yorkshire?
A recent report from the Ministry of Justice revealed that over 67,000 cases are currently pending in the Crown Courts nationwide, with 16,031 cases having been unresolved for over a year.
Yorkshire’s legal professionals have been acutely aware of the mounting pressures caused by the Crown Court backlog, which has reached record levels across England and Wales.
Between October and December 2022, the average time for a case to come to completion at Leeds was 264 days (roughly 8 and a half months) and at Sheffield Crown Court was 134 days (around 4 and a half months). And the backlog has increased since: data from the Ministry of Justice showed there were 1,489 outstanding crown court cases in South Yorkshire in September 2023 – up from 1,272 a year earlier.
Legal experts have already warned that these delays not only jeopardise the delivery of justice but also risk eroding public trust in the criminal justice system.
A call to action from the Victims’ Commissioner
Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove is calling on victims in Yorkshire to share their experiences through the survey. Available in both English and Welsh, the survey is anonymous and offers victims a platform to share their experiences.
“No one should be expected to wait years before their case gets to court,” stated Baroness Newlove, “Yet justice is not being delivered in a timely or effective way, and it is victims who are ultimately paying the price.
“With a record backlog in our Crown Courts, the justice system is under immense strain, and we cannot ignore its impact on victims.”
The Baroness Newlove’s own experience, following the tragic murder of her husband Gary Newlove in 2007, has fueled her ongoing campaign to improve the support available to victims.
“I often hear from frustrated victims anxiously awaiting their day in court,” she continued, “Stuck in limbo for years, one victim even questioned whether a justice system inflicting such delays on victims can even claim to be delivering justice. It is clear to me that these aren’t isolated examples. These are systemic issues, and it is causing victims real and undue distress.”
The feedback collected from this survey will shape an upcoming report that will propose measures to alleviate the burden on victims.
The survey is available on the Victims’ Commissioner’s website and will remain open until Thursday 12 September 2024. Yorkshire’s criminal law community is particularly encouraged to support their clients in participating.
Image: Official 3:2 portrait of Baroness Newlove made available by UK Parliament under an Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) licence
Josie Miller
Josie Miller is Editor of Yorkshire Legal News. She welcomes comments and questions.
