Open petition: Require criminal trial juries to provide reasons using a verdict questionnaire
Created by Terry Louch
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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.
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This petition will stay open until 18 December 2026.