"The upshot is that jury trials for defendants facing relatively short custodial sentences those of up to three years will be scrapped in England and Wales. The reforms will not extend to Scotland, which has its own legal system, or Northern Ireland. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Justice reported that more than 78,000 Crown Court cases remain unresolved, a record number."
"Eliminating the jury aspect of a trial saves about 20 percent of the time of a trial, the government claims. Under the reforms announced on Tuesday, criminal cases which carry sentences of up to three years, as well as complex fraud and financial cases, will be tried without juries. Serious offences, including rape, murder and manslaughter, will remain subject to jury trial."
The United Kingdom's justice secretary, David Lammy, is limiting the right to trial by jury in England and Wales to defendants accused of rape, murder, manslaughter and cases that meet a defined public-interest test. A new tier of swift, jury-free courts will handle many cases normally heard by Crown Courts. Jury trials will be scrapped for defendants facing custodial sentences of up to three years. Complex fraud and financial cases will also be tried without juries while serious offences retain juries. The reforms exclude Scotland and Northern Ireland. More than 78,000 Crown Court cases remain unresolved, and the government will allocate £550 million for victim support over three years.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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