“Crisis level” backlog of crown court cases disproportionately affects young people from ethnic minority backgrounds

The all-time high in the current backlog of crown court cases is likely to have a disproportionate impact on children and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds, the House of Lords constitution committee has found.

In January 2021, more than 50% of children and young people in custody were from ethnic minority backgrounds, and a staggering 87% of children on remand (in custody until the date of their court hearing), according to the Guardian. The committee has called on the government to urgently increase the use of video remand hearings to reduce the backlog of cases and the number of young people in custody.

Although the report praised the “monumental effort” of court staff to keep the system working, it also raised the concern that remote hearings disadvantage vulnerable court users and people with protected characteristics.

Ministry of Justice data shows that in the last quarter of 2020, 18% of cases had been outstanding for more than a year – up 6% on 2019. Meanwhile, convictions have fallen to a decade low, according to research by the Labour Party. Both the constitution committee and Labour have called on the government to increase the number of Nightingale courts, sitting dates and the number of sitting retired and part-time judges to reduce the backlog.