Jury Reforms Remain on the Table

News yesterday that the new Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt. Hon. Alex Norris MP, plans to press ahead with reforms to trial by jury.

Proposed changes in legislation would also extend the sentencing powers of the Magistrates' Court to 18 months for a single either way offence, with the door left ajar to increase that even further to 24 months via secondary legislation.

The reforms, first proposed by former Justice Secretary the Rt. Hon. David Lammy MP, received what can only be described as a rather tepid reception from members of the legal profession. The installation of a new Prime Minister provided the ideal opportunity to quietly euthanise the controversial reforms, but apparently the Burnham Ministry wishes to press ahead with them regardless.

The Government is apparently very, very keen to push as many cases as possible through the Magistrates' Court. The Magistrates' Court has two significant advantages over the Crown Court - cases can be processed much faster and at a fraction of the cost. However, there are serious concerns about curtailing the right of defendants to elect a trial by jury. Faster and cheaper is not necessarily the best option in the interests of justice.

I have previously set out my stall on this matter, as you can read in an earlier article. In short, I would be seeking efficiencies in the system as it currently exists.

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