MA calls for changes to reduce impact of crown court backlogs on cases involving violence against women and girls

MA national chair calls for implementation of changes to magistrates' jurisdiction, to ease the burden on crown courts

Bev Higgs, the national chair of the Magistrates' Association, has called for magistrates' jurisdiction to be increased to a 12-month custodial sentence for a single offence - to reduce the number of cases being sent to crown courts where backlogs are causing delays in justice including in cases involving violence against women and girls.

In a letter published in The Guardian newspaper, Bev Higgs points out that “non-priority” cases backlogged in the crown courts are now listing into 2023-24.

Increasing the jurisdiction in magistrates' courts, where volunteer magistrates have worked tirelessly during the pandemic to keep backlogs at a minimum, would ease pressure on the crown courts, speeding up justice for all.

You can read her full letter here.