UK Government Drops Plan to Restrict Jury Trials as Crown Court Backlog Nears 81,000
The UK government announced on Sunday 4 October that it is abandoning a plan, inherited from its predecessor, to restrict jury trials — a proposal that would have removed juries from cases likely to attract sentences of under three years in an effort to cut court backlogs, Reuters reported. Justice minister Alex Norris said the government was changing course.
By the end of June, the backlog of jury cases awaiting trial in the Crown Courts of England and Wales stood at nearly 81,000 — roughly double the 2020 figure. Long waits for trial dates have left victims and defendants alike facing delays of years, raising questions about the justice system's capacity.
Andrew Thomas, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, welcomed the decision but warned that jury trial remains under threat from other directions. Kirsty Brimelow, chair of the Bar Council, voiced concern about separate moves to expand magistrates' sentencing powers and to remove defendants' right to elect jury trial.
Jury trial is regarded as a cornerstone of the common law tradition in England and Wales. The government says it will bring forward other measures to speed up cases and reduce the backlog.
(Source: Reuters reporting, 4 October)
Source: Reuters reporting, 4 October
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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