The Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales has issued a stark warning that a potential government retreat on plans to limit jury trials could push the justice system into total collapse. Claire Waxman stated that without the proposed reforms, court backlogs could soar to 125,000 cases, creating a severe public safety crisis and breaking a key Labour manifesto promise.
No Viable Alternative to Easing the Backlog
In an exclusive interview, Waxman expressed her disappointment that debate around changes to jury trials had overshadowed other critical elements of the government's sentencing bill. She argued that critics could "shout and scream" for a U-turn, but there is currently no other viable proposal to drastically reduce the record backlog plaguing the courts.
"If you row back on this, we will see a backlog of 100,000, of 125,000," Waxman said. "That is a public safety issue. Victims will not stay six, seven years in the justice process. The justice system will no longer function, it will collapse, it is already on the brink." She added that she did not believe the government could afford to water down the plans.
Direct Threat to Pledge on Violence Against Women
Waxman directly linked the sentencing bill's success to the government's flagship pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. She warned that measures designed to tackle dire prison overcrowding—including the early re-release of recalled offenders and scrapping most short sentences—could actively undermine that goal if proper safeguards are not implemented.
"If we are releasing more people from prison, or we suspend short sentences, that does work against halving violence against women and girls. That's a reality. It does undermine it," she stated. Waxman is seeking urgent clarification from ministers this week over fears the reforms could leave domestic abuse victims in danger, calling the bill a public safety risk.
A System in Crisis: Crumbling Courts and Human Cost
The commissioner painted a bleak picture of a justice system in decay, citing crumbling court buildings with leaks and broken heating, and trials adjourned on the day they are due. This, combined with massive delays, has a "devastating impact" on victims.
"When a victim tells you that the delays have pushed them to consider taking their own life, you have to wake up and think this can't continue," Waxman said. "This isn't humane." She added that while she is proud of the dedicated staff working within the system, she is not proud of the system itself.
Waxman also highlighted that the government's new strategy on violence against women and girls, launched in December, is "seriously underfunded," and that her own office lacks the resources to properly hold agencies like the police to account. Justice Secretary David Lammy is understood to be pushing ahead with the reforms, based on proposals by Sir Brian Leveson, which include judge-only hearings for certain offences.
