The jury, as they say, is out on this review.
http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/review-of-efficiency-in-criminal-proceedings-20151.pdf
Without having seen it in detail, I cautiously acknowledge it but obviously need to properly assess its many recommendations.
For too long, all of us who work in the courts have been a sticking plaster for our creaking criminal justice system. If what Lord Leveson suggests actually works and brings a smoother-running and more efficient service whilst delivering justice, that can only be a good thing.
There is however a caveat – and one that, as I understand it, Lord Leveson has also identified - the system must be properly funded. This week we’ve had warning signs about the impact of swingeing legal aid cuts in magistrates’ courts - a worrying increase in unrepresented defendants. It’s not too big a leap to say at some stage this could lead to more miscarriages of justice.
A conveyor belt courts system brings injustice not justice. I strongly hope that the post-Leveson landscape will re-balance the scales where the emphasis is as much on fairness as efficiency.