The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced new measures to improve services to victims of crime and help keep them engaged in the criminal justice process, including the offer of a pre-trial meeting with the CPS and access to dedicated Victim Liaison Officers.
At Rape Crisis England & Wales, we have long been calling for measures to improve the backlog of cases in the Crown Court. Our Breaking Point report details how trial delays are re-traumatising victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse, and causing many of them to drop out of the system entirely. For the past two years, Rape Crisis workers have been telling us that this is now the biggest issue affecting survivors seeking justice.
We therefore welcome any measures that aim to improve the experiences of survivors in the justice system. Pre-trial meetings and access to dedicated support are vital elements of an improved experience, as we know that the persistent lack of communication and updates about their case has been extremely distressing for survivors. It is encouraging that the CPS has met with survivors and have acknowledged the trauma that long delays and a lack of support are causing them.
Survivors deserve timely justice
It's imperative, however, that more is done to address the root of the problem – the backlog of cases. The number of sexual offence cases waiting to go to the Crown Court now stands at 10,141 (as of March 2024). Survivors deserve to feel informed and supported about their cases, but they also deserve timely justice and the opportunity to move on with their lives; this cannot happen while they are waiting years for a court date and often having this date moved multiple times.
We also cannot ignore the fact that specialist sexual violence and abuse support services, such as Independent Sexual Violence Advocates, are chronically underfunded, and that Rape Crisis centres are seeing their waiting lists increase exponentially. This directly impacts a survivor’s ability to stay engaged in the criminal justice process.
Ciara Bergman, CEO of Rape Crisis England and Wales, says:
"The remarks made by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, on the backlog being 'unacceptable' highlight the need for swift and proper investment in the courts' end of the justice system, and in the criminal justice profession, too. We’re particularly concerned about the dwindling number of criminal barristers able to take cases forward. We’re currently seeing trials being listed for as late as 2027, leaving survivors in limbo – and often in distress – for years."
Our Breaking Point report outlines recommendations for change which, alongside the CPS’ new measures, would drastically improve the experiences of survivors of rape and sexual abuse, and address the backlog of cases.
These recommendations include:
- The fast-tracking of sexual offence cases.
- Specialist sexual offence courts where all staff receive trauma-informed training.
- Judge-only trial pilots (because of jury trials being more costly and lengthy).
- A long-term and properly resourced strategy for recruiting and retaining criminal lawyers.
- Victims and survivors recognised as participants in the court process, rather than just witnesses to a crime.
- Long-term grants for specialist sexual violence and abuse services that support survivors through the criminal justice system.