Tier 4 and the Criminal Courts: Business as Usual

London: On Saturday afternoon 19th December 2020, without any forewarning, the Government placed London and parts of the East and South East into more stringent lockdown measures. Everybody in these Tier 4 regions must stay at home. Everybody except users of the criminal courts in England and Wales. Despite the sharp rise of COVID-19 cases in these areas, most courts are operating a ‘business as usual’ approach. Legal Sector Workers United stands in solidarity with those who are forced to attend unsafe courts during one of the most serious times in the pandemic and calls upon HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to re-assess the operation of courts in Tier 4 areas. In the nine months that have passed since the first national lockdown, HMCTS have introduced a range of measures to create COVID-secure courtrooms. However, LSWU members know that the majority of court buildings in Tier 4 areas are anything but. As workers in the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts across the country, we have seen the lack of PPE provided to our clients in the cells, overcrowded public areas, and at-risk defendants and families left to wait for hours in these conditions.

Read more: Grace Cowell and Zehrah Hasan, Justice Gap, https://is.gd/IwSF85