Review of Efficiency in Criminal Proceedings by The Rt Hon Sir Brian Leveson President of the Queen’s Bench Division

Sir Brian Leveson’s report  ‘Review of Efficiency in Criminal Proceedings’ which was published in January 2015 to find ways to make the criminal justice system more streamlined and efficient.

One of the findings in the report was that too many cases are being sent unnecessarily to the Crown Court, which is a major problem in terms of cost (on average a Crown Court trial costs 4 times that of a Magistrates’ Court trial). 

Leveson believes that a larger proportion of cases should be heard in the Magistrates’ Court where cases are dealt with in less time.  He recommended that even in circumstances where Magistrates are uncertain about the adequacy of their powers, they should be able to retain the case and commit to the Crown Court for sentence if they later take the view that the case falls outside their sentencing powers.

Sir Brian Leveson’s report  ‘Review of Efficiency in Criminal Proceedings’ (PDF)