“This extreme measure on jury trials goes far beyond the
recommendations made by Sir Brian Leveson in his independent
report,” said Law Society of England and Wales president Mark
Evans.
“This is a fundamental change to how our criminal justice system
operates and it goes too far. Our society's concept of justice
rests heavily on lay participation in determining a person's
guilt or innocence. Allowing a single person to take away
someone's liberty for a lengthy period or decide a potentially
life changing complaint would be a dramatic departure from our
shared values.
“We have not seen any real evidence that expanding the types of
cases heard by a single judge will work to reduce the backlogs.
“Leveson's report made clear the complexity of the situation and
the need for investment and reform across the entire criminal
justice system, which is currently failing the public it serves.
“We share the concerns of criminal law solicitors about the
erosion of the right to a jury trial.* The Leveson proposals were
an uncomfortable compromise, only justifiable given the extensive
challenges our justice system faces. To go beyond Leveson's
proposals is a step too far. With a sensible combination of
funding and structural change, the government can solve the
criminal courts backlog without resorting to extremes”
Notes to editors
- * See our survey results. Almost
three-quarters (73%) of the solicitors surveyed were concerned
about jury trials being removed as part of the proposals.
