'David Lammy is right - modern crime is too complex for juries' - Former West Midlands magistrate explains why court reform is desperately needed
Prof Roshan Doug is an educational consultant from the West Midlands. He has also served as a magistrate and supports controversial changes. Here are his thoughts on plans to reduce jury trials.
Jury trials are failing Britain - it’s time for real reform.
Justice Secretary David Lammy has proposed cutting down on jury trials.
His suggestion may be controversial, but it is rooted in an uncomfortable truth: the current system is no longer fit for purpose.
As a former lay magistrate, I have seen the cracks in Britain’s justice system widening year after year. What the public is often told about the sanctity of jury service and the noble tradition of the magistracy bears little resemblance to the reality inside the courtroom.
The truth is starker: our reliance on laypeople - however well-meaning - to deliver justice is no longer workable. We must remember that when the concept of jury trials was embedded in our legal system by Henry II in the 12th century, the population of Britain was a mere two million. Today – with a population of over 65 million - the principle of being tried by your peers is time-consuming, difficult to administer, and ridiculously expensive.
