England and Wales face backlog of 40,000 criminal cases due to coronavirus
Criminal Bar Association warns of scale of challenge posed by pandemic as virtual hearings trigger fears about fairness
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The criminal justice system in England and Wales is facing a backlog of 40,000 criminal cases, which will not be solved even if all crown courts are brought into service under physical distancing rules, the Criminal Bar Association has warned.
The scale of the challenge to the justice system posed by the coronavirus pandemic is becoming apparent, as virtual hearings transform business in the higher civil courts but trigger alarms about the fairness of remote proceedings in the family and lower courts.
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