The number of people being held on remand awaiting trial in England and Wales has risen to 14,507, the highest it has been for 50 years and a jump of 44 percent in 18 months, according to a committee of MPs.
The backlog of trials caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and last year’s barristers’ strike have been blamed for the rise in the number of remand prisoners.
The Justice Committee’s report said: “In the first half of the last decade, there was a decline in the remand population. However, recent years have seen a significant increase—as of 30 September 2022, the daily remand population stood at 14,507. This represented a 44% increase from 31 March 2020 when the population was 10,043. The remand prison population is currently the highest it has been for at least 50 years.”…