Improving the criminal justice system through expert, cross-agency efforts

In 2021 the Crown Court Improvement Group (CCIG) was established by the lord chief justice in response to the unprecedented challenges faced by the criminal justice system. The group comprises representatives of all the major agencies in the criminal justice system, meeting in a confidential and non-confrontational environment. Over the past year the CCIG has worked to identify and develop initiatives that will increase the efficiency of the Crown courts and improve access to justice.

The focus of the group has been on identifying and removing obstacles to the proper conduct of cases in their early weeks in the Crown court, prior to the Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing (PTPH). This includes improvements to police file quality, early disclosure by the CPS, through to achieving good access at prisons for solicitors and counsel to their clients on remand. It is hoped that this will enable the defence teams to deliver advice to their clients before the PTPH with benefits to those clients who wish to secure the best possible credit for any pleas, and to the efficiency of the system.

Alongside these various initiatives is a revised and updated Better Case Management (BCM) Handbook. This reminds everyone of BCM principles and identifies good practice. Furthermore, I have issued listing advice to presiding and resident judges which will improve the management of trials.

The combined aim of these initiatives is to achieve a reduction in the number of outstanding cases in the Crown court and decrease the time it takes to bring a matter to conclusion. This can only be achieved by working collectively to remove blockers and address the challenges that exist in the criminal justice system.

In a system of this complexity, it is only through such expert, cross-agency efforts that sustainable improvements can be made. The challenges to our courts remain significant, however I am proud of the progress we have made in tackling the challenges collectively to contribute to a shared, substantial improvement.

Lord Justice Andrew Edis is the senior presiding judge for England and Wales and chair of the Crown Court Improvement Group

The group recently published a progress update alongside a revised and updated Better Case Management Handbook which applies to all cases in the Crown court.