Thirty leading organisations representing victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) have written to the Justice Secretary urging him to drop plans to halve the number of jury trials in England and Wales.

The letter, also signed by JUSTICE, warns that cutting jury trials will deepen mistrust in the justice system among victims, distract from measures to reduce violence, and fail to address the court backlogs that impact survivors.

It expresses concern that proposals to replace diverse juries with lone judges - two thirds of whom are male - could undermine trust in the courts at a time when less than half of female victims have confidence in the overall fairness of the justice system. 

The signatories – including Rights of Women and End Violence Against Women Coalition – argue that sidelining juries and establishing a new tier in the Crown Court will divert resources away from the reforms needed to address the causes of VAWG and to reduce victims’ long waits for justice.  

There is also no evidence that scrapping juries will meaningfully speed up trials, they note.  

The failure to concentrate efforts on addressing the causes of violence and delays will only “prolong the uncertainty that leads many survivors to withdraw support for the prosecution of their abuser,” they conclude.  

• Hannah Couchman, Senior Legal Officer at Rights of Women, says: 
  “Organisations across the sector are sounding the alarm over these proposals. Undermining one of the few mechanisms for bringing diversity into decision making and reducing courtroom bias will not resolve the backlog or address the trauma survivors experience at the hands of our justice system.  
  “Reducing access to fundamental safeguards leaves Black and minoritised communities at most risk of harm. We urge the government to preserve jury trials and renew their commitment to addressing the underlying causes of VAWG.” 
  

• Janaya Walker, Interim Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition, says: 
  “We have long highlighted that the experiences and re-traumatisation of victims and survivors in the criminal justice system are untenable. However, we have been taken aback by the government’s blanket assertion that this set of proposals is in the best interests of victims and survivors of violence against women and girls (VAWG), without any serious consultation with VAWG organisations.  
  “It sets a worrying precedent for the rights of women and girls to be pitted against others in this way, particularly given that such proposals risk causing harm for the most marginalised, including criminalised women.” 
  

• Baljit Banga, CEO at women’s support charity Hibiscus, says:  
  “Retaining jury trials as a cornerstone of our justice system is essential; cutting them is a costly distraction from the real work of improving access to justice for all women.  
  “When women at the margins face discrimination, it undermines justice for everyone. We know, for example, that migrant women subjected to VAWG are often criminalised due to their immigration status. The government must centre women's experiences and build a justice system that serves women subjected to violence and harm.” 
  

• Fiona Rutherford, Chief Executive of legal reform charity JUSTICE, says:  
  “Victims of violence must have access to trustworthy, timely justice. Juries are one of the best trusted parts of our system and give some of the most equal outcomes; cutting them will further weaken justice, not fix it.   
  “It is good to see justice delays finally getting the attention they deserve, but to solve them the government should focus on boosting investment and support for victims and defendants, while fixing basics like trial scheduling and crumbling courtrooms.” 

The joint letter, also signed by JUSTICE, criticises the government for positioning the rights and interests of survivors as directly opposed to those of defendants. Many VAWG victims are “routinely and unjustly” criminalised, particularly if they are members of minoritised communities, the letter adds.   

Research has found that juries treat defendants equally, regardless of their ethnicity. In contrast, judges have been found to be significantly more likely to give jail sentences to Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity offenders than to white offenders for comparable crimes. 

Research also shows that women are more likely to opt for jury trial at the Crown Court than men, meaning female defendants will be disproportionately affected by these reforms.  

Juries reform facts: 

• There is no empirical proof or existing pilot demonstrating that removing juries will materially reduce delays in the criminal courts. Using the Government’s figures, the Institute for Government estimates judge-only trials will only save 1.5-2.5% of Crown Court time. This may well be an over-estimate given that potential time savings will be offset by a range of time-costly consequences, such as the need for judges to write reasoned decisions. 
• Court backlogs primarily stem from chronic underfunding, which has driven down the capacity of the justice system. The Government has announced several welcome measures to start to address this, including increased funding and investment, and the removal of the cap on sitting days. 
• Examples across England and Wales, such as Liverpool Crown Court, demonstrate that investment, efficient case management and practical court adaptations can manage court backlogs without curtailing jury trials.  
  

Notes to editors:  

• 36% of circuit judges who sit in the Crown Court are women - Ministry of Justice, Diversity of the Judiciary: Legal Professions, New Appointments and Current PostHolders – 2025 Statistics (Ministry of Justice, 2025). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/diversity-of-the-judiciary-2025 
• Less than half of women victims have confidence in the justice system - Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Annual Victims’ Survey 2024: Victim Confidence in the Criminal Justice System. Available at: https://cdn.websitebuilder.service.justice.gov.uk/uploads/sites/6/2025/10/Victims-Survey-2024-repor…
• Ministry of Justice, Courts and Tribunals Bill 2026: Equalities Statement, p. 8 (Ministry of Justice, 2026) shows women are more likely to opt for jury trial than men. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/699dfa26db2401de164d6c90/courts-tribunals-bill-equa… 
• The finding that juries treat defendants equally, regardless of ethnicity, comes from the 2017 Lammy Review, which found significant racial disparities in the UK criminal justice system: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a82009040f0b62305b91f49/lammy-review-final-report.p…