Four Bars of the UK and Ireland oppose jury trial restriction proposal
The Bars of England and Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland have jointly opposed the UK government’s proposal to restrict the right to jury trials in England and Wales, following Sir Brian Leveson’s criminal courts review. They contend that trial by jury is a core feature of the criminal justice system and state that there is no evidence the proposal would reduce existing Crown Court backlogs. The Four Bars also argue that the proposal goes beyond Leveson’s recommendations, which have not been piloted or fully modelled, and caution that limiting jury trials would undermine public confidence in the criminal justice system. They have called on the government to reconsider the proposal before bringing forward legislation.