I. Stephanie Boyce FKC, FRSA: “If we are to address the crisis in our criminal and civil courts, we need evidence, not assumptions.”

The justice budget is set to rise from £11.1bn to £13.2bn by 2028–29.

Welcome news, but nowhere near enough to clear record backlogs, fix creaking courts or repair the broken infrastructure that underpins our constitutional rights or undo the years of chronic underfunding in our justice system.

Public engagement on the proposal to restrict jury trials is encouraging. We’re told no final decision has been made, and I urge the government to rethink and the public to keep raising their voices.

If we are to address the crisis in our criminal and civil courts, we need evidence, not assumptions. Any proposal that removes a cornerstone of democracy must prove it will deliver the efficiency it promises without undermining justice.

My Nana used to say: “You go cheap, you pay twice.” It is always more cost effective to invest properly in justice than to start taking people’s rights away.

And just because around 90% of criminal cases already proceed without a jury does not justify eroding the right to a “lawful judgment of one’s peers.” And without serious investment, it is unclear how this will deliver swifter justice.

Investment, not erosion of rights, is the path to a fair and functioning justice system.
#RuleOfLaw #Justice #AccessToJustice #Justice #JuryTrials #bbcqt