The jury system is attacked from all sides – by those who believe juries cannot cope with fraud cases, by those who think they are prejudiced and now even by those who think them harsh on householders who defend themselves. Juries deserve our support, and this report suggests changes that could make their verdicts safer and better. Suspicion of juries, though, is merely a modern fear of democracy. Thomas's report vindicates many people's instinctive conviction that jury trial is the vital guarantee of fairness in the criminal justice system. Justice is less at risk from the prejudices of juries than from those of professionals and politicians.
Read my full piece on Professor Thomas's report, Are juries fair?, at Comment is Free.
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