In the year 2026, victims possess increased rights, yet the path to seeking justice has become notably more challenging.
Having endured persistent stalking over a span of two decades, I have personally experienced the frustrations of being let down by the very system designed to offer protection. This personal ordeal has significantly influenced both my personal life and career trajectory.
Motivated by a desire to amplify the voices of victims, I have dedicated years advocating for their cause – leading battles that resulted in groundbreaking legislation such as the Victims and Prisoners Act. These hard-fought triumphs marked a significant milestone in officially recognizing and safeguarding victims’ rights within the legal framework.
Transitioning into my new role as Victims’ Commissioner, I am acutely aware that mere legal provisions are insufficient. While laws may promise access to justice and support, the actual delivery of these promises hinges on a functional court system.
Ideally, one would expect a straightforward process following a crime – report it, and the system swiftly intervenes in a fair and supportive manner. However, the stark reality of 2026 is vastly different. Today, being a victim entails entering a perpetual waiting period upon reporting a crime, a limbo that only exacerbates anxiety and trauma.
Despite the assumption that victims should be at the forefront of their cases, the current overwhelmed system often relegates them to mere bystanders. Endless waits for updates, delayed court dates stretching into the distant future, and the absence of closure perpetuate victims’ agony, despite the commendable efforts of support services.
Witnessing victims facing trial dates as distant as 2030, it’s not just the agonizing delays that afflict them, but the persistent uncertainty, postponed hearings, and the inability to heal from their trauma due to the prolonged legal processes.
As the Sentencing Bill proposes further reductions in jail time, victims enduring prolonged waits for their day in court question whether they are inadvertently serving the sentence instead of the offenders.
The heartbreaking consequence is all too predictable – victims are compelled to walk away as the toll of waiting, both physically and emotionally, becomes unbearable. The steep price of justice, measured in years of suspended lives, becomes an insurmountable burden.
In my capacity as London’s Victims’ Commissioner, I had previously cautioned against the repercussions of longstanding neglect and underfunding on the system, a warning that has now manifested in an alarming backlog of nearly 80,000 cases – double the pre-pandemic figures. Each case in the backlog represents a life put on pause.
Numerous cases dating back to the previous decade linger in the trial queue, with individuals transitioning from childhood to adulthood while awaiting their day in court. Without decisive action, forecasts predict a backlog of 125,000 cases by the end of this parliamentary term – a gross abdication of responsibility.
Given the enormity of the crisis, maintaining the status quo is no longer a viable approach. Sir Brian Leveson’s assessment of the court system as irreparably broken underscores the need for more than surface-level fixes. Merely increasing funding without addressing fundamental issues is akin to applying temporary band-aids on a deeply flawed system.
In response, the government has tabled radical proposals, including the potential adoption of judge-only trials to circumvent the current gridlock. While these propositions challenge conventional norms and are subject to intense debate, the reality remains that our justice system has morphed into a grueling endurance test that fails the very people it is designed to protect.
A system that compels a sexual assault survivor to wait for five years or more for a shot at justice is demonstrably ineffective. What exists today is justice in name alone.
The current situation is untenable, and with each passing day of inaction, the backlog expands, pushing more victims to relinquish their pursuit of justice, thereby emboldening offenders. The time has come to decisively address this crisis.
In the approaching months, amidst discussions on legal precedents and courtroom procedures, I am committed to ensuring that the voices of victims remain central in pivotal debates on tradition and process.
My primary criterion for evaluating any proposal will be its ability to promptly and effectively deliver justice to those impacted by crime. The human toll of this crisis is too grave to ignore – a justice system that breaks victims before they reach the courtroom signifies a profound failure.
We must cease demanding the impossible from victims and instead cultivate a system founded on trust – one that not only functions theoretically but excels in practice.