#jury-trial-reform

#jury-trial-reform

An important player in global geopolitics. Then he found himself out on his ear. Replaced by Yvette Cooper, who had been booted out of the Home Office for being perceived to be soft on asylum seekers. But at least Yvette got to fail upwards. Lammy just found himself downgraded to justice secretary. A department that has been unloved, downgraded and underfunded for years.

Jury trials for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years will be scrapped, the justice secretary has announced. The reforms to the justice system include creating "swift courts" under the government's plan to tackle unprecedented delays in the court system. Serious offences including murder, robbery and rape, will still go before a jury. Crucially, volunteer community magistrates, who deal with the majority of all criminal cases, will take on even more work.

PA Justice Secretary David Lammy is proposing to massively restrict the ancient right to a jury trial by only guaranteeing it for defendants facing rape, murder, manslaughter or other cases passing a public interest test. An internal government briefing, produced by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for all other Whitehall departments, confirms plans to create a new tier of jury-less courts. The new courts would deal with most crimes currently considered by juries in Crown Court.