questionText: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the sentencing powers of magistrates on court backlogs since October 2024.
answerText: Last November, we extended magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months. It is premature to assess the impact of the policy due to the time it has been in place. The change enables more cases to be retained in the magistrates’ courts, freeing ...
heading: Magistrates: Sentencing