Inspectors welcome progress made on juror management by Courts Service

CJI has welcomed work undertaken by Courts and Tribunals Service to improve how jurors are utilised within the criminal justice system. View Report

The follow-up review found five of the eight recommendations made by the Inspectorate in 2010 had been achieved by the Courts and Tribunals Service with a further two recommendations partially achieved. 
 
"We welcome the work that has been undertaken to date to ensure those citizens called upon to act as jurors are respected and their time used effectively to improve the efficiency of the courts throughout Northern Ireland," said Chief Inspector Brendan McGuigan.
 
The Courts and Tribunals Service is monitoring the number of juror notices and summonses issued and the percentage of jurors who are not used as a result.  Operational guidelines on the application of juror deferrals and excusals have also been introduced which has led to a more consistent approach being adopted across all court areas in Northern Ireland.
 
Welcoming the Courts and Tribunals Services' ongoing commitment to juror management, Mr McGuigan said he supported the work undertaken to date to assess and improve the accessibility of court venues to enable disabled people to play a full part in jury service and urged the organisation to make further improvements where possible.