ABSTRACT
Sweeping alterations are being introduced into the lower criminal courts in England and Wales in efforts to modernise the system and respond to the changing demands of contemporary society in progressing to the future (Leveson, 2015a; Ministry of Justice, 2014d). Notwithstanding the deep financial restructuring in place in the United Kingdom (UK) since 2010 and its impact on the delivery of all public services, ambition for change within the criminal courts is linked to the government’s commitment to operate an up-to-date, modernised court service fit to function in the twenty-first century. This focuses on delivering prompt justice within a modern, streamlined, economically efficient and technologically advanced system. Reducing delay in court case progression and enhancing the swift transfer of casefile information between the courts and the interconnected agencies of the police, the prosecution, probation and the prisons are central.1
