JURY UNANIMITY – DOUBT DISMISSED

We are supporting Appeal’s campaign, Doubt Dismissed, launched on 8th May 2024.

A jury can only function effectively if unanimity is required in its decisions. This requirement serves as a crucial safeguard against the inherent shortcomings of the jury system such as the lack of specialised expertise among its members and their vulnerability to persuasive rhetoric or emotional appeals. By mandating unanimous agreement, the system compels jurors to thoroughly deliberate, consider diverse perspectives, and scrutinise the evidence more critically. This reduces the risk of decisions being swayed by superficial arguments or individual biases, thereby enhancing the fairness and integrity of the verdict.

In short, their recommendations are:

Reinstating unanimity of jury verdicts.

Amend section 8 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981, to allow researchers to conduct studies of real juries in real cases.

Crown Courts to capture and to record detailed data on majority verdicts and juries and appeal bodies (namely the Court of Appeal and the Criminal Cases Review Commission) to record data on verdict type.