THE Jury Alliance and Defend Our Juries protested outside Worcester Crown Court on Monday, saying the Government is dismantling the cornerstone of the British constitution – the Jury.
Jury trials in England and Wales for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years will be scrapped, the justice secretary announced in December 2025, which caused outrage.
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, and volunteer community magistrates, who deal with the majority of all criminal cases, will take on even more work.
The group say that underfunding is the real problem, leading to an unprecedented backlog in both crown and magistrates courts and say that a reduction in juries will resolve none of these issues.
Karen Rock, a retired nurse from Bromyard said: “Juries are vital for democracy. Ordinary people in the UK have depended on a jury of their peers to deliver justice for almost a thousand years. It’s a fundamental check to power. Jury equity is an essential option.
Melanie Jameson, a retired dyslexia specialist from Malvern added: “A single judge sitting alone cannot bring the breadth of life experience to a case provided by 12 people from different backgrounds and outlooks on life.
“Juries are a fundamentally local issue, reflecting our local communities – hence the turnout right across the country.”
The Jury Alliance is a new public campaigning group, aiming to raise public awareness and demonstrate the strength of public opposition to the government’s plans to limit trial by jury.
Since the Justice Secretary’s announcement in December last year, opposition has grown across the legal profession who argue that it will do little to address the backlog. Human rights groups and supporters, alarmed by the proposed changes, have joined the opposition movement.
If passed, the Courts and Tribunals Bill, will see a single judge replacing a jury of 12 randomly selected members of the public, for all cases in the Crown Court where a prison sentence between three years and 18 months is expected.
This is against the recommendations of the Leveson Review on court reform.
