Court system failures see hundreds of criminals dodging justice every day

Posted by GLA Conservatives in NewsShare

Oct
16

· 73,143 criminal prosecutions thrown out in the last year alone, working out at 200 every day, costing the taxpayer £13.1m
· Reasons include missing exhibits, police files and witnesses
· “Common sense measures will bring crooks to justice: Tell victims time and place of trial, show barristers case papers in advance”

Tens of thousands of criminals are dodging justice every year because of faults within the courts system, according to new FOI figures.

Out of 738,064 total prosecutions across the UK in 2013, 73,143 have been dropped*, working out to 200 every day.¹

Thrown out prosecutions cost the taxpayer £13.1m a year.²

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Courts burdened with hundreds of thousands of offenders with at least ten previous convictions

Posted by GLA Conservatives in NewsShare

Jun
11

‘Sharp shock’: Tougher sentences, training and rehabilitation will scare first-timers out of a life of criminality

Courts in England and Wales are having to deal with hundreds of thousands of offenders who already have numerous previous convictions.

FOI figures show 338,592 offenders – with more than 10 previous convictions – were yet again brought before our courts in the last two years¹.

Almost half a million offenders (482,141) – with at least six previous convictions – returned back to our courts during the same period.

GLA Conservative London Assembly Member, Tony Arbour, uncovered the figures and is calling for harsher sentences combined with training and effective rehabilitation to serve as a ‘sharp shock’ for first-time convicted offenders.

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Almost 200 court cases in London dropped or delayed every week because of prosecution failings

Posted by GLA Conservatives in BlogShare

Sep
5

• 9,560 cases thrown out or delayed in London due to failings by prosecution or court system
• Dropped and delayed cases estimated to cost taxpayer £17.4M nationally

23K (23,237) cases in London’s Crown and Magistrates courts were dropped or delayed in 2012.

Failings by the prosecution and court system were to blame for four in ten (9,560) thrown out or delayed cases in the Capital, working out at 184 every week.

London was the worst performing region when it came to cases being delayed (16% of cases at Crown Courts and 20% at Magistrates Court level classed as ‘ineffective’).

New report ‘Justice Postponed: Reducing the vast number of dropped trials’ shows cases failed because of prosecution not being ready, the absence of prosecution witnesses and advocates, or court administration failings:
 
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90 trials a day delayed: half due to failings by prosecution or court system

Posted by GLA Conservatives in BlogShare

Jul
23

• 31,842 trials delayed across England and Wales – more than half due to failings by prosecution or court system
• London worst performing region at both Crown and Magistrates courts with up to 20% of trials postponed

 
Almost 32K (31,842) trials in Crown and Magistrates courts were delayed in the UK in 2012, working out at 87 every day of the year. Over 18.5K (18,523) of these trials were delayed due to failings by the prosecution or court administration.

Of all the trials delayed in the UK, 58% of Magistrates court and 61% of Crown court cases, were postponed because of the prosecution not being ready or available, the absence of a prosecution witness, or court administration failings.

London was the worst performing region for both Crown Court cases (16% of trials being classed as ineffective) and joint worst with the Midlands at Magistrates Court level (20% of cases delayed).

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