The UK government has doubled the sentencing powers of magistrates in a bid to reduce the backlog in the criminal justice system that has been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Magistrates across England and Wales can now issue prison sentences of 12 months for a single offence, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said on May 2, adding that the move is expected to free up around 1,700 extra days of Crown Court time each year.