This briefing paper was prepared to support the second event of the Justice for All conference series, ‘Justice for the Accused.’ RAND Europe is a research partner for this series, which is a year-long programme of events that examines the challenges facing modern justice systems. This paper reflects on the drivers and costs of inefficiencies in the criminal court system in England and Wales.
The effective functioning of the criminal justice system is essential for maintaining public confidence, ensuring fair outcomes and the rule of law. However, recent evidence suggests that the system in England and Wales is struggling to fulfil its key functions due to persistent, interacting inefficiencies. These inefficiencies not only increase operational costs but also risk undermining the delivery of justice.
This paper examines the nature and consequences of these inefficiencies, focusing on the structural drivers that sustain them and the economic costs they entail. More specifically, this paper aims to summarise findings from the literature about the question: ‘What is the available evidence on the drivers and costs of inefficiencies in the criminal court system in England and Wales, and what are the implications of these costs for the delivery of justice?’
This work was funded by RAND Europe internal internal research and conduced by the RAND Economic Strategy and Operations Unit within the RAND Europe.
This publication is part of the RAND expert insights series. The expert insights series presents perspectives on timely policy issues.
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