Only about 1% of criminal cases in England and Wales are decided by jury trials, especially with many guilty pleas and judge-directed acquittals. Sir Brian Leveson's review recommends more cases be handled by magistrates due to a backlog of 77,000 crown court cases that affects victims, witnesses, and defendants. He proposes 45 reforms, including ending jury trials for offenses with a maximum sentence of two years and making judges decide complex fraud cases. These changes indicate a choice between difficult compromise and an impending crisis in the justice system.
Sir Brian Leveson recognizes the sensitivity around any restriction on jury trial, but he weighs it against the real risk of total system collapse in the near future.
The backlog of unheard crown court cases, currently about 77,000, betrays the victims of crime and leaves witnesses and defendants in limbo.
Sir Brian makes 45 recommendations to get the system back on track, including the controversial measure of ending the right to be tried by jury for certain offences.
The proposed reforms are not ideal and reflect a choice between unpalatable compromise and an intolerable status quo, leaning towards calamity.
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