Select committee: Justice Committee
Recommendation 3
Seventh Report - The role of adult custodial remand in the criminal justice system
Published 17 Jan 2023
Paragraph 25
Addressed to Ministry of Justice
Justice Committee The role of adult custodial remand in the criminal justice system All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We recognise that the pandemic led to delays in court hearings which have contributed to a growing remand population. However, it is important to stress that the remand population has been growing despite a decrease in the number of cases entering the Crown Court, and we are concerned that the impact of higher police numbers and a return to pre-pandemic case levels may lead to further increases in the remand population. In view of the risk of case levels increasing, we recommend that the Government conducts a rapid review to understand why the number of cases entering the Crown Court remains depressed, what the risks are of the number of cases increasing again, and to model the effect of changes in the number of cases entering the system on the remand population.
From: Justice Committee, Seventh Report - The role of adult custodial remand in the criminal justice system (HC 264), paragraph 25, 17 January 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 31 March 2023 (deadline 17 March 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the report, says it is "already undertaking work on the majority" of the recommendations, and that some are accepted partially or in principle while others are "not within the Government's gift to accept".
- It rejects a rapid review of Crown Court case levels, saying that the potential effect on the remand population "has been modelled within our published prison population projections".
- On magistrates' training and pronouncement templates, it rejects the recommendations, saying that as the judiciary is independent it is "not appropriate for the Government" to direct training or review materials.
- It rejects a review of the legal framework for custody time limits, stating that the framework "is clear and effective" and that "There is no intention to review" it "at this time".
- On a Bail Information Service roll-out, it partially accepts, anticipating a dedicated and proactive service "could be rolled out to all courts and prisons from Summer 2023, subject to funding", with robust data published in early 2024 as its aim.