Judges bring together criminal justice partners to collaborate on criminal courts improvement
CriminalLady Chief JusticeSenior Presiding JudgeNewsSpeeches
The Criminal Courts Improvement Group today (Thursday 26 February) brought together more than a hundred professionals from across the criminal justice system to examine the challenges facing the criminal courts and consider the road to recovery.
In her opening address to the conference, The Right Honourable the Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, reiterated her commitment to working collaboratively with criminal justice partners:
“Everyone in this room has a shared vision: a modern and effective criminal justice system that allows justice to be enacted fairly, swiftly and proportionately for everyone. We each have our levers to contribute to change…
Whatever criminal justice policies Parliament decides to enact, I remain – the judiciary remains – committed to playing a full and active part in bringing down the backlogs and modernising how the criminal courts operate.”
Chaired by the Senior Presiding Judge, Lord Justice Green, the group aims to deliver operational improvements to the criminal courts against a backdrop of rising caseloads. Its members include representatives from the judiciary, legal professions, police, Crown Prosecution Service, probation, HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
The group is establishing a new national Crown Court listing practice, which will provide a more consistent and transparent approach to listing criminal cases in England and Wales, with implementation expected this summer.
In his speech, The Senior Presiding Judge, Lord Justice Nicholas Green, said:
“Operational efficiency must be viewed by reference to the system as a whole… Firstly, there is an imperative need for collective action. Secondly, we should strive for greater connectivity between the operational and the policy. Thirdly, new technology must be embraced and harnessed. And finally, we must maintain momentum.”
For more information about the work of the CCIG, visit the page on our website.
You can read the Lady Chief Justice and Senior Presiding Judge’s speeches in full below.