TO BE PUBLISHED December 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for tackling backlogs in the criminal courts system in England and Wales. Areas for discussion include practical, legal and operational implications of proposed reform, key issues for implementation, court capacity and workforce pressures, case allocation and progression, victim and defendant experience, and the role of digital and AI tools in supporting effective court processes.
It will be a timely opportunity to consider priorities for the criminal courts under the new Prime Minister, including the future direction of reform and policy on jury trials and case allocation. The conference will bring together stakeholders and policymakers in the context of the Courts and Tribunals Bill and following recommendations from Parts One and Two of Sir Brian Leveson's Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. Delegates will assess implications for criminal court structure, case allocation, trial processes, sentencing powers and wider approaches to reducing delay.
Discussion will also consider the Judiciary’s recent response to the Independent Review, alongside the introduction of a Practice Direction on Listing in the Criminal Courts and the National Listing Framework, intended to improve consistency, prioritisation and throughput across criminal courts.
Further sessions examine the Government's AI Action Plan for Justice and the pilot use of AI in the Crown Court, including AI legal assistants, AI-assisted listing and identification of trial-ready cases, and the potential wider application of tools such as Justice Transcribe. Attendees will consider the safeguards and governance needed for responsible deployment, and where digital measures can support improved listing, reduce administrative load and improve court processes for victims and other users.
Criminal courts reform, backlog & public confidence
Discussion will examine the scale and impact of the criminal courts backlog, the factors driving delay and the contribution that different reforms and operational measures might make to reducing it.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- reform legislation:
- Courts and Tribunals Bill - implications for implementation and transition - priorities for taking forward, adapting or reconsidering recommendations from the Leveson Review
- sequencing, transition and operational readiness
- backlog and confidence: scale and human impact of delay - implications for victims, defendants, practitioners and court users - trust in the justice system
- drivers of delay: case complexity - ineffective trials - listing, court capacity and wider resourcing
- productivity: findings on productivity and ineffective trials - case management and administrative reform - encouraging earlier engagement and pleas
Jury trials, case allocation, victims support & magistrates’ courts
Delegates will assess the future approach to jury trials and implications for the balance of case allocation between jurisdictions, trial processes and public confidence. Attendees will also consider how reform and decisions on listing and case progression should take account of the effects of delay on victims and witnesses, particularly in serious cases such as sexual offences and domestic abuse.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- jury entitlement: future policy and implications for case allocation between jurisdictions - constitutional and fair-trial considerations
- case allocation: rebalancing work between Crown Court and magistrates' courts - future of proposals for judge-only trials and the Crown Court Bench Division - routes of appeal
- victims and witnesses: measures to strengthen support - delivery and impact in practice - attendance at sentencing - Victims' Commissioner powers - access to sentencing transcripts
- serious cases: delays in rape and sexual offence cases - floating trials, over-listing and prioritisation - balancing timeliness with quality of justice
- magistrates' powers: widened sentencing powers and reclassification of offences - operational readiness and capacity - weighing displacement against genuine backlog reduction
Digitalisation, AI & court processes
The conference will examine where technology can support case preparation, progression and administration, and the safeguards needed for responsible deployment.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- case progression: digital case management - secure video hearing systems and remote trial options - data-driven performance monitoring
- AI-assisted court administration: Crown Court pilots and AI legal assistants - AI-assisted listing and identification of trial-ready cases - Justice Transcribe and transcription
- safeguards and governance: accuracy, bias and data quality - transparency and digital exclusion - technology supporting rather than substituting wider reform
- practicalities: next steps for procurement - legacy system modernisation
- integration: alignment with the National Listing Framework - consistent prioritisation of cases - improving victim-facing outcomes
System capacity, workforce & delivery
Further sessions will focus on wider pressures across the criminal justice system and requirements for sustainable delivery, maintaining access to justice, service quality and public confidence while tackling delays.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- legal aid: Government’s recent commitment to increase criminal legal aid funding - how strengthened representation capacity may support trial readiness and reduce delays
- workforce: training needs - administrative pressures - preparations for new processes and digital workflows - recruitment, retention and trial readiness - sustainability of defence provision
- system-wide coordination:
- role of police, CPS and upstream processes where these affect case preparation and court progression - data sharing and reducing ineffective trials
- interaction with probation, prisons and support services
- delivery: relationship between reform and existing commitments on sitting days - combining immediate operational measures with longer-term reform
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; HM Courts and Tribunals Service; HM Revenue and Customs; Ministry of Defence; and the National Audit Office.
