More trials should take place without a jury to reduce the risk of "total collapse" of the justice system in England and Wales.
That’s according to former judge Sir Brian Leveson, who was tasked by the government to tackle the record-high court backlog in the two nations.
He unveiled plans on Wednesday to shake up the structure of courts and reclassify offences.
The number of cases waiting to reach the courtroom passed 75,000 for the first time in March, with some cases being listed for 2029.
Sir Brian’s recommendations have been modelled to save approximately 9,000 sitting days in the crown court each year.
One of the main proposals is diverting cases to magistrates’ courts, or to the proposed Crown Court Bench Division, for trials to be heard by judges.
Juries would be reserved to hear the most serious cases, and defendants would receive a 40% discount on their sentence if they plead guilty at the earliest opportunity.
The review also proposed a greater use of cautions or unpaid work to move more cases away from crown courtrooms.
Offences with a maximum jail sentence of two years of less, such as drug possession, bike theft and voyeurism, could have sentences reduced to 12 months imprisonment or less.
In cases involving an assault on an emergency worker, stalking and possessing an indecent photograph of a child, the defendant would no longer have the right to choose a jury trial.
Sir Brian recommends a new Crown Court Bench Division, made up of two magistrates and a judge, that would have the power to deal with all either-way offences.
Either-way offences are criminal offences that can be seen in a magistrates court or crown court, depending on their severity.
Offences categorised as ‘either-way’ include fraud, child abduction, sexual assault and violent disorder.
A judge would decide whether a defendant’s case would be sent to the new court or the Crown Court with a jury.
Speaking this morning, government minister Nick Thomas-Symonds described the criminal courts as "a system on the brink of crisis" and agreed they needed urgent reform. He said the government would consider Sir Brian’s proposals before legislating in the autumn.
"What we will do moving forward is take the decisions we need to take to keep the public safe. That is why Sir Brian was appointed and that is why David Gauke a former Conservative justice minister was also appointed to look at this matter.
"What is absolutely fundamental to this government is keeping the public safe."
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said justice being delivered "swiftly" was the most important thing.
"It cannot be right that at the moment a rape trial is being listed for 2029," he said.
"The way to do that is to get our courts sitting seven days a week. To increase the number of sitting hours and bare down on waste – it is not to rip up our historic constitutional settlement and reduce the access to jury trials that people have enjoyed for generations."
