<p>The courts system in England and Wales is in an unprecedented crisis. The backlog has reached 80,000 cases, and some defendants are being told they won't be able to have a criminal trial until 2030. </p><p>The government has introduced the Courts and Tribunals Bill, which contains a raft of measures to tackle delays and bring down the backlog; but the Justice Secretary David Lammy has admitted that things are going to get even worse before they get better. </p><p>The most controversial change is a plan to restrict the number of jury trials. The right to judgement by your peers has existed for more than 800 years, but for some offences, that's going to end. </p><p>Defendants will lose the right to choose between a jury trial or a magistrate's hearing in so-called "either-way" offences. </p><p>Magistrates will get increased sentencing powers - up from 12 months to 18 months. </p><p>More serious criminal cases, with likely sentences of up to three years will now be heard by a single judge - and no jury. </p><p>And only the most serious "indictable" offences, like murder, manslaughter and rape and any other offence with a sentence of longer than three years will be heard by a jury.</p><p>But will the reforms make a difference? </p><p>Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles Editor: Tom Bigwood</p><p>Contributors: Sarah Sackman KC, courts and legal services minister Chris Kinch, KC, who until 2024 was a senior judge at Woolwich Crown Court in south London David Ford, national chair of the Magistrates Association</p>