Save our criminal justice system

The criminal justice system is under pressure. If we don't take drastic measures now, it will break.

I joined the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) at its inception, and am one of those who has worked from the start to create a service that its staff, and the country, can be proud of. But over the last decade, the government have brought in swingeing cuts to the courts, legal aid and the entire criminal justice system. We saw budget cuts in the CPS, staff reductions and down-grading. We were asked to do more with less, and it became increasingly difficult to deliver the justice which the public should rightly demand.

That's why, with the support of my union, the FDA, I've started this petition calling for a properly funded criminal justice system. We shouldn't have to campaign for adequate funding for our legal system, but the government's left us no choice. Austerity has taken its toll on our department. Real term pay-cuts of up to 42% are pushing lawyers away from criminal law towards more financially rewarding areas of practice.

The explosion of digital evidence has put – as one FDA CPS member put it – "an almost intolerable burden on prosecutors". Yet while disclosure has become more time-consuming since 2010, the budget of the CPS has fallen by 25% in the same period. As a result, 95.7% of prosecutors surveyed by the FDA now think the department does not have enough lawyers to deal with disclosure issues.

Something must be done. Please add your name.

Thanks for your support,

Roland Zollner
Barrister