Record 14,507 People Being Held on Remand in England and Wales During Court Backlog, Say MPs

Tory MP urges magistrates and judges to consider 'better alternatives'

UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab with a prison officer at the opening of category C prison HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, United Kingdom, on March 4, 2022. Joe Giddens/PA

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.