Juries and the jury system in England and Wales are fair, unbiased and balanced

Wednesday 13 June 2007 at 7:56 pm | In News | Post Comment

Research shows in particular that the jury system does not discriminate against people from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds.

A four-year research study, published in June 2007 by the Ministry of Justice, shows clearly:

  1. No differences between white and black and minority ethnic people in responding positively to being summoned for jury service
  2. Black and minority ethnic groups are not significantly under-represented among those summoned for jury service or among those serving as jurors
  3. Racially-mixed juries’ verdicts do not discriminate against defendants based on their ethnicity

This unprecedented study is highly encouraging. It strongly suggests that juries and the jury system are working, and working well.

The study, Diversity and Fairness in the Jury System, carried out for the Ministry of Justice by the University of Birmingham, uses case simulation with real jurors, as well as examining the verdicts of actual juries, to try to understand jury decision-making.

The research was commissioned in June 2002 in response to the Macpherson Report published in 1999, which followed an inquiry into the Metropolitan police’s investigation of the murder of a black teenager, Stephen Lawrence.

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