UK's Justice Shake-Up: Juries Out for Some Crimes

The UK is making big changes to its justice system. The government is reducing the number of jury trials. Now, only serious crimes like murder, manslaughter, and rape will have juries. Other cases, like those with shorter prison sentences, will be decided by a judge alone. This change is part of a plan to speed up the justice system. There are currently over 78, 000 cases waiting to be heard. The government believes that removing juries will make trials faster and help clear the backlog. The plan also includes new "swift courts" that will handle many of the cases normally heard by juries. The government is also setting aside 550 million pounds for victim support services over the next three years. But not everyone is happy with these changes. Critics say that jury trials are an important part of the justice system. They argue that removing juries could lead to unfair trials and undermine trust in the system. The right to a trial by jury has a long history in England. It dates back to the Magna Carta in 1215. The idea was that no free man should be punished without the judgment of his peers. This principle was further entrenched in the English Bill of Rights in 1689. Other countries have also made changes to their jury systems. France replaced traditional juries with courts composed mainly of judges during World War II. India, Singapore, and Malaysia have all abolished jury trials for various reasons. The UK's justice secretary, David Lammy, has said that these changes are necessary to address the backlog in the courts. However, critics argue that the real problem is underfunding and that these changes will not fix the issue.