The impact of the pandemic on the justice system has been huge, with lawyers reporting clients spending more time on remand than they would face if sentenced, a growing backlog of stalled cases and women’s legal services swamped with inquiries about domestic violence cases.
“He’s not been able to work in his field because it requires a clean criminal history check,” she said.on condition of anonymity, said her life was on hold while she waited for her partner’s trial, delayed due to the pandemic, to start. “We are seeing exceptionally high numbers of women in need of protection,” chief executive Serina McDuff said.“It is not an overstatement to say that the system of criminal justice in this state is in crisis, requiring a response from the courts,” justices Phillip Priest, Stephen Kaye and Terence Forrest said in June, calling on judges and magistrates to, during the pandemic, dish-out greater sentencing discounts for early guilty pleas to reward those who avoid trials.
The government has also gone on an appointment spree of County Court judges and magistrates due to increasing workloads.