Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Deferred
Paragraph: 52
Devote sufficient resources to reduce post-conviction sentencing delays and improve judicial capacity
Recommendation
Those convicted but awaiting sentencing are not subject to custody time limits. It is, therefore, all the more important that the Government devotes sufficient resources to reduce delays to sentencing post-conviction. For example, the Government should ensure resources are available for the timely delivery of pre-sentence reports and sufficient judicial capacity to enable judges to sentence defendants as soon as they are able. The Government should also examine the reasons for the increase in the number of convicted defendants awaiting sentence and consider whether there are any procedural or technological reforms that could reduce delays.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepted the recommendation, but the response focused on the lack of policy intention to create remand-only prisons, the increase in the remand population due to court backlogs, and how it is managing prison capacity, rather than committing to specific actions to reduce post-conviction sentencing delays.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
52
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
We accept this recommendation. We have restructured probation into a single unified service across England and Wales, responsible for managing offenders at every level of risk. The £155m of additional funding per year we secured at the most recent spending review is already playing a critical role in increasing staff numbers and reducing caseloads. The target operating model for the unified service sets out our aim to deliver delivering more pre-sentence reports (PSR), that are of a better quality, improving outcomes and reducing failure demand, through an uplift in staffing and investment in digital solutions and an improved training offer. The Probation Service is aiming to recruit 1,500 trainee Probation Officers in 2022/23 and we exceeded our recruitment targets for 2020/21 and 2021/22. We are exploring new models for service delivery that can provide the judiciary with better quality reports within a dedicated timeframe, thereby reducing the overall lead times for report production. We have been running a PSR pilot scheme across fifteen courts which is due to conclude in March 2023. A process evaluation will be published in Spring 2023, but analysis of monitoring data has found the pilot sites to have delivered a higher percentage of court disposals receiving PSRs overall when compared to the non-pilot magistrate sites. We are encouraging and monitoring processes which seek to identify defendants earlier in the criminal justice process. We have been piloting the provision of PSRs on committal to Crown Courts in Bristol, which will be rolled out nationally in due course. Decision- making on timings for rollout will be down to the judiciary in the local area, but six initial sites have been identified to be progressed during Spring 2023. We are also utilising a PSR before plea process, which enables PSRs to be prepared on cases ahead of the first hearing if an indication of an intended guilty plea is given. Opportunities which support case progression with PSRs prepared in advance of first hearing at both Crown and Magistrates’ Courts, will be optimised through lessons learnt from the PSR pilot. A commitment has been made by the Senior Presiding Judge that he will support Judicial ownership to progress these initiatives. We have also begun modelling the optimal operating environment for PSR delivery to support better sentencing outcomes and reduce the overall time defendants spend within the court system. Any examination of the reasons for the increase in the number of convicted defendants awaiting sentence must be done in conjunction with the judiciary. The Government will work with the judiciary and operational partners to examine whether there are any procedural or technological reforms that could reduce delays.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗