The Jury Alliance
No Jury, No Justice!
The UK Government plans to remove the right to trial by jury for thousands of criminal cases.
- Juries protect us from unfair prosecutions, biased judges, political interference and state overreach.
- Juries prevent power being centralised within corporations, institutions and those with privilege.
- Juries have been a key part of our justice system for centuries.
- Juries are a vital constitutional check on the government, no jury will convict someone under an unjust law.
- Jury trial is a cornerstone of British justice.
David Lammy plans to remove the right to trial by jury for thousands of criminal cases, taking the power of our legal system away from citizens and into the grasp of a single judge or two magistrates and a judge. This will not be the legal system that the UK is internationally respected for.
Ordinary people are not passive observers of the law, they are full participants in the legal process. They bring a wealth of experience, from all walks of life. Jurors are best placed to make the application of the law fit with an ordinary person’s expectation of what is just and fair. People don’t go to court to get meaningless latin phrases and obscure rules, they go to get justice, and a jury of their peers can deliver that. Statistics show juries are less biased than magistrates and judges.
The government claims this will save time and money. But judges tend to imprison more people than juries so it will likely cost more. The current delays in the system are caused by underfunding leading to lost court time from closed courts, crumbling buildings, late prison transfers, unreliable technology and more. The underfunding of all our pubic services is the root cause of the difficulties that our services from NHS, education, social care and justice are facing.
Senior lawyers, civil liberties groups and many MPs have warned against this change. They know it will dilute justice and reduce public confidence in the justice system.
Ordinary people have a vested interest in a system that is fair for everyone. We need justice by the people for the people, and this is the power that only juries can deliver.
Defend justice, defend juries, defend your rights .
Why Juries are Essential
Save Jury Trials
From David Lammy’s own report people of colour get fairer trials in front of juries than in front of magistrates. Twelve ordinary people bring a breadth of wisdom, knowledge and experience that cannot be replicated in a single judge, or even two magistrates.
History of Juries
The 1215 Magna Carta then set out further guarantees to the right to justice. This included a right to trial by your peers. This was intended to be for the nobles rather than ordinary people, to limit the King’s ability to frustrate justice, but it is the beginning of jury trials for everyone.
What can I do?
If you’re in England or Wales you can write to your MP today! Handwritten letters really stand out because they are so rare nowadays. But all MPs answer emails, and some prefer emails.
You can also sign the petition against removing juries.
- The Telegraph: Burnham will scrap Lammy plans to curb jury trials
- Justice committee finds no evidence to back curbs on jury trials
- Court data casts doubt on need for jury reforms
- Jon Richardson and the Futurenauts talk about the future of Juries
- Data shows court backlogs falling, so why aren’t ministers talking about it?
- Hansard voting report on Courts and Tribunals Bill
- Express: I’ve been a juror twice – this is why Justice Secretary David Lammy is a complete idiot
- Solicitor News: Senior legal figure resigns from LSB to oppose Courts and Tribunals Bill reforms
The Jury Alliance
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