We are concerned by the increasing size of the remand population, and in particular by evidence of the increasing length of time people are spending in custody on remand. Efforts need to be focused on reducing this population and bringing forward the hearing dates of trials. A significant proportion of defendants held on remand will be found not guilty, and so it is vital that they are not deprived of their liberty for long periods of time. For those found guilty and given a custodial sentenc...

We are concerned by the increasing size of the remand population, and in particular by evidence of the increasing length of time people are spending in custody on remand. Efforts need to be focused on reducing this population and bringing forward the hearing dates of trials. A significant proportion of defendants held on remand will be found not guilty, and so it is vital that they are not deprived of their liberty for long periods of time. For those found guilty and given a custodial sentence, they should be progressing on to sentence planning to prepare them for release, rather than waiting long periods of time for their sentence to be pass Type: conclusion | Number: 1 | Paragraph: 12 | Response status: not_accepted Government response: Service (HMPPS), His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) We reject this recommendation. The Department (MoJ) agrees on the importance of understanding the risk of the volume of cases entering the Crown Court increasing. However, work is a