Court crisis deepens despite claims Kent justice system is improving
The Law Society of England and Wales has warned that mounting delays and growing backlogs in Kent’s criminal courts are placing increasing strain on the justice system. New analysis published by the Law Society shows that open cases at Kent’s Crown Courts more than doubled over the past decade, rising from 1,451 in the final quarter of 2016 to 3,046 in the same period of 2025.
The figures relate to the region’s two main Crown Court centres, Maidstone Crown Court and Canterbury Crown Court. At the same time, the average duration of criminal cases across Kent has increased significantly. According to the analysis, the average time taken for a case to progress from offence to completion rose from 597 days in 2016 to 770 days in the second quarter of 2025.
The Law Society said the delays are affecting all parts of the justice process and creating prolonged uncertainty for victims, witnesses and defendants. Mark Evans said the growing backlog was leaving many people “in a state of limbo” and warned that extended delays risk undermining public confidence in the justice system.
Evans stated that local solicitors and legal communities continue to play a central role in helping courts operate effectively, but said they could not address the pressures without further government support. The Law Society called on the UK Government to provide sustained investment in courts and legal services to improve efficiency and maintain access to justice.
The analysis showed that delays had briefly reduced during 2020, when the average duration fell to 405 days. However, waiting times increased again following the pandemic, reaching 647 days in 2023 and 718 days in 2024 before rising further in 2025. The Law Society’s data was based on publicly available figures from HM Courts and Tribunals Service and criminal court statistics covering both magistrates’ courts and Crown Courts.
The organisation said the figures demonstrate wider pressures within the criminal justice system, including capacity constraints and ongoing operational challenges. Mark Evans visited Canterbury on 29 April 2026 to discuss the findings with local solicitors and stakeholders. The visit formed part of a wider engagement with the legal profession on challenges facing courts and legal services across England and Wales.
The Law Society maintains that long-term investment and reforms are needed to prevent delays from worsening further and to ensure the justice system remains effective and accessible. Improvements had been made following increased court sitting days and operational changes within the region. She stated that Maidstone Crown Court had previously faced difficulties due to a shortage of judges, although she said that issue had now been resolved.
Davies explained that additional capacity had been created by moving some work from Maidstone to Southwark Crown Court and Woolwich Crown Court. According to the Bar Council, this approach resulted in 194 trials being completed and reduced the number of outstanding cases to the lowest levels recorded since mid-2024. She also said that Canterbury Crown Court had benefited from the use of an additional courtroom, helping improve case progression.
The Bar Council argued that the figures demonstrate courtroom capacity, rather than jury trials, remains the central issue behind delays in the criminal justice system. The comments form part of the organisation’s wider “Justice Needs Juries” campaign, which opposes government proposals to reduce the use of jury trials as a way of tackling the Crown Court backlog.
The campaign argues there is no evidence that limiting jury trials would significantly reduce delays, with the current national Crown Court backlog standing at around 80,000 cases. Instead, the Bar Council has called on the Ministry of Justice to prioritise investment in court infrastructure, refurbishment and operational capacity.
The organisation also highlighted wider problems affecting the criminal justice system, including deteriorating court buildings and delays caused by prisoner transport failures. The latest figures underline ongoing pressure on Crown Courts across England and Wales as legal bodies continue to debate how best to improve efficiency while maintaining access to jury trials.