I have been following the debate in parliament of the courts and tribunals bill. There are some good ideas in it, but removing jury trials is not one of them (Juries want fairness in court and don’t just obey the government. That’s why ministers are attacking them, 17 March). The choice is framed as either waiting a long time for trials or removing juries. This is a false choice. Everyone agrees that the wait for trials is far too long, but removing juries is not the way to solve the problem. Taking simple steps to tackle the problems in the system would be a better approach.
The court administration system is dire, which directly causes the long delays. Every day in my practice as a criminal lawyer, I see courts listing three or four trials in a single court and all but one being adjourned as you cannot hear more than one trial at a time; interpreters not being booked by the court, which results in adjournments; prisoners not being brought to court or not being produced on video links; courts not notifying defence, prosecution or defendants of hearing dates; around a third of court rooms being closed; and not enough judges to hear cases.
All these problems could easily be solved with better management and the hiring of more court staff and judges. The courts used to be a strong point in the system. These problems have been caused by experienced staff being let go and not replaced, and general underfunding.
Gilbert Spurling
London
A point worth adding regarding the loss of some jury trials is the potential risk of political appointees to the judiciary. Great for the government – get rid of juries and choose the judges. If we ever went down that path there would be no going back.
Alexis Livadeas
Kidlington, Oxfordshire
Thank you, Michael Mansfield, for your analysis of the ongoing proposals to limit or reduce juries. I was privileged to be part of a jury in a significant and controversial inquest, and the jury, which was made up of people from many disparate ages and backgrounds, was able to ask pointed questions and come to intelligent and thought-through conclusions. Juries are one of Britain’s proudest achievements and should not be abandoned.
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