In a joint statement with the Bar Council, the Law Society told MPs that it opposed the introduction of remote juries under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. ‘These concerns are wide-ranging and include: the risk of alienating juries and/or witnesses; ensuring security of proceedings (both in terms of the privacy of the process and individuals, and data privacy); additional expense to the taxpayer; the requirement of new technology and IT systems; and the associated issues arising out of these aspects.’
The representative bodies warned that the impact of the proposal on access to justice is unclear and unproven. ‘How jurors interpret body language and facial expressions can be key in a trial and it is simply not known what impact hearing a trial remotely would have in this area,’ they said.