Once again trial by jury is coming under scrutiny.
Boris Johnson had promised a Royal Commission on Criminal Justice. It was never established. The former Justice Secretary Dominic Raab introduced a much mocked “Bill of Rights Bill” which contained an odd clause declaring that trial by jury was a right, except when it wasn’t. Mr Raab was sacked, his Bill was dropped and the appetite for legislation about criminal procedure faded.
However, times have changed. Against the background of a shrinking economy and a growing backlog of Crown Court cases Lord Leveson has been asked to conduct an “Independent Review of Criminal Courts.”
And this time, it seems, the government is likely to do something significant. It has juries in its sights. Continue reading “Are juries fair?”