Thank you to everyone who attended my latest In Conversation session about the criminal justice system. I was proud to welcome Dame Vera Baird, Former Solicitor General, Lord Ponsonby, John Plummer from the London Prisons Mission and Charley Allan, the Justice Unions Parliamentary Group Organiserand justice reform campaigner.

Firstly, Dame Vera Baird spoke about the terrible conditions of our courts – broken heating systems, leaks, collapsing roofs, broken toilets and severe staff shortages. Even the IT system is a complete failure. No wonder courts are closing in record numbers. One of the biggest issues facing the criminal justice system is the enormous backlog, made worse due to the pandemic, but caused by Tory austerity and a complete lack of long-term planning. This means that victims are waiting longer than ever for justice, Vera confirmed that the average wait for a court date is 2 years, meaning that drop-out is high and morale is low. My colleague Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, has continuously warned that rape victims are being “systematically let down” by the Tories. Even though the number of rape and other sexual offences reported to the police are at their highest level on record, prosecution is at a record low. For a Government that is “tough on crime”, the reality is very different. Thousands of victims are failing to get the justice they deserve, and this has to stop.

The courts are also severely short-staffed. Barristers are leaving the industry in droves and those who remain are disproportionally white, middle-class, privately educated and male. Due to the long hours and low pay, it is very difficult for women with children to enter this workforce. This is a huge issue and is only getting worse. Last year during the criminal barrister strike, I met with local barristers who spoke about the lack of Government funding into the criminal justice system. Barristers across the country participated in strikes,  demanding fairer pay, investment in legal aid and better staff retention and recruitment. At the time, I wrote to the Justice Secretary to ask how he was tackling this crisis, you can read my letter here. I believe the Government needs to wake up and listen to the concerns of our criminal justice workers in order to secure the long-term viability of the profession and therefore of the criminal justice system as a whole.

It is clear that austerity has had a shocking impact on the criminal justice system. Over twelve years of cuts has meant that our prisons, courts, police and the probation service have all struggled to cope and are not functioning for staff, victims and communities. As Charley Allan said: “You can’t do justice on the cheap”. Austerity was a political choice – a Tory Frankenstein experiment that has cost lives and ruined our essential services. In 2014, Chris Grayling decided to privatise the probation service but this was re-nationalised in 2020, another shamble by Mr Failing Grayling. Prisons should never be run for profit, they play a vital role in keeping the public safe and we need to ensure that all prisoners have access to healthcare and the opportunity for rehabilitation and education.

Thank you to everyone who attended my In Conversation session, it was a fascinating discussion and it’s clear there is so much to do to repair relations between the public and the police, to ensure that victims get justice and make sure that prisons are fit for purpose.

You can sign up for my next meeting on the future of health and care, with Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP and Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Care & Wellbeing Cllr Lucia Das Neves. Please book your free ticket here.