The pandemic has caused a backlog of “grave concern” in courts in England and Wales, according to the national justice watchdogs, with the number of people in prison awaiting trial rising by 20 percent. Almost half of all courts were closed and jury trials halted in March in England and Wales during the first wave of the (Chinese Communist Party) CCP virus, also known as the novel coronavirus. Jury trials were reintroduced in May, with three-quarters of Crown Court buildings now back in use. In a joint report, the four criminal justice chief inspectors warned that the impact has yet to be fully felt. “We have grave concerns that this impact will prove deleterious to victims, witnesses, and defendants alike,” stated the report. For example, the backlog for serious trials is 65 percent higher than normal, with some trials expected to be delayed by a year. The report praised the overall …