Require criminal trial juries to provide reasons using a verdict questionnaire

Summary

Introduce legislation requiring criminal juries to complete a structured verdict questionnaire detailing the factual reasons for their decisions, learning from international models to ensure a transparent, appeal-resilient justice system. English and Welsh juries deliver unreasoned verdicts, which can leave victims and defendants unable to see if the law was applied correctly. We think this lacks transparency and hinders fair appeals. Since 1995, Spain has successfully used a structured "verdict questionnaire" where juries answer specific factual questions to justify their decisions. We propose a system utilising legally vetted, standardised question templates and a judicial "pre-check" phase.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 16 May 2026

   Petition

   Introduce legislation requiring criminal juries to complete a structured verdict questionnaire detailing the factual reasons for their decisions, learning from international models to ensure a transparent, appeal-resilient justice system. English and Welsh juries deliver unreasoned verdicts, which can leave victims and defendants unable to see if the law was applied correctly. We think this lacks transparency and hinders fair appeals. Since 1995, Spain has successfully used a structured "verdict questionnaire" where juries answer specific factual questions to justify their decisions. We propose a system utilising legally vetted, standardised question templates and a judicial "pre-check" phase.

   Source: Petition

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

No documents linked.

Sponsors

No sponsors or actors listed by the source.

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.