The time has come for the abolition of civil juries Discuss.

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Katherine Davies

“The time has come for the abolition of civil juries” Discuss.

There has been an increase in the number of cases filed in recent times and the time required for each tries has prompted concern amongst the bench, bar and the public. Lord Goldsmith recently announced reforms for complex fraud cases, which would mean that a judge sitting alone can convict defendants without the decision being made by a jury. The government’s main concern for this abolition is that it will increase costs and also increase waiting times. In recent time’s big fraud trials has cost the taxpayer millions of pounds. One problem is perceived to be the idea of trials lasting several months for jurors. Not many people can commit themselves to the time involved and those who can are felt to be unrepresentative of the public at large.

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The advantage is that White-collar fraudsters would not escape justice through failings in the legal system. The judge-only trials would be shorter, more efficient and maybe more effective. The problems of handling complex fraud trials have been highlighted over a number of years e.g. by Lord Justice Auld.

There are other cases that might benefit from being heard without a jury. Trials involving conflicting medical experts, such as the cases involving parents accused of killing their babies, are equally impossible for a jury to assess, and should therefore be handled by judges sitting alone. On the other, the Government has ...

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