Lammy's jury reforms will deepen mistrust of justice system among women and girls'

"We are deeply concerned that the curtailment of jury trials risks unfair outcomes that undermine justice for everyone. There is no evidence the changes will meaningfully speed up trials. Two thirds of judges are male, which could undermine trust in the courts at a time when less than half of female victims have confidence in the overall fairness of the justice system."

"The letter argued positioning the interests of survivors against those of defendants oversimplifies how the justice system treats women and fails to recognise that female victims of violence are often criminalised themselves. The signatories expressed fears that the move could increase racial bias, citing a report which found juries convicted defendants from ethnic minorities at similar rates to white defendants."

Thirty organizations representing violence against women and girls victims have urged the government to abandon plans replacing jury trials with judge-only trials for crimes carrying sentences under three years. The groups argue this change will deepen victims' mistrust of the justice system and lacks evidence of meaningful trial acceleration. They contend the proposal oversimplifies justice by positioning survivor and defendant interests as opposing, while noting female victims are often criminalized themselves. Concerns include potential unfair outcomes, increased racial bias, and reduced confidence given that two-thirds of judges are male and less than half of female victims trust the system's fairness. The groups advocate instead for sustained investment addressing underlying causes of violence against women and girls.

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