Major Reforms to Jury Trials Announced in England and Wales

The landscape of criminal justice in England and Wales is set for significant transformation following breaking news on 2 December 2025. 

The government has announced sweeping reforms which significantly limit the right to trial by jury, marking one of the most significant updates to criminal legal proceedings in decades. 
The announced reforms follow the publication of the first part of Sir Brian Leveson’s ‘Independent Review of the Criminal Courts’. In his report, Sir Brian recommended a number of reforms, the most controversial of which was to limit the use of jury trials.

These changes are said to be necessary to address the longstanding backlog of cases waiting to be heard in the Crown Court.

Key Changes to the Jury System

The government have proposed the creation of “swift courts” to hear some cases.
Trials for criminal offences, such as burglary or fraud, which are likely to result in custodial sentences of less than three years will be heard in the new swift court by a judge alone.
Trial by jury will be limited to only the most serious allegations such as rape, murder and robbery. 

The proposed changes are a significant and radical  transformation of the criminal justice system within England and Wales which has, for centuries, relied upon the participation of citizens to determine someone’s innocence or guilt.

Resolving the Backlog

The purported purpose of the proposed changes is to speed up the trial process. It is hoped they will thereby assist in resolving the current backlog which exists in the criminal justice system, with some 80,000 cases currently waiting to be completed in the Crown Court and waiting times only increasing. Some cases, including those involving serious allegations, are already being listed for trial in 2029 and 2030.

It is widely acknowledged that the backlog needs to be addressed. What is, however, less clear is that trial by jury is in any way the cause of the backlog, or indeed whether removing jury trials will have any impact on  the backlog at all.

The implementation of these reforms suggests that trial by jury is a cause of delays leading to the backlog, however underfunding of the criminal justice system has been publicly acknowledged for a number of years.

Safeguarding Fairness and Public Confidence

There has been a range of reactions to the proposals. 

Generally, efforts to reduce delays are to be welcomed, although not where they come at the expense of justice.

It has been widely argued that the proposed restriction on the right to trial by jury will impact on the quality of justice. If that is the case, then public confidence in the criminal justice  system will undoubtedly be detrimentally affected.

The government has committed to a comprehensive review process, with an independent panel established to monitor the effects of these changes over the coming years. Despite this, it has been made clear the proposed changes would be permanent.

Looking Ahead

The changes announced on 2 December 2025 signal a major shift in how criminal justice will be administered in England and Wales. Some have even argued that it may mark the beginning of the end for jury trials altogether.

While the reforms promise greater efficiency it remains to be seen how they can reduce the backlog. It is difficult to see how the backlog can be reduced without significant investment in the criminal justice system more widely.