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Judgements: Standards

Asked by Karl TurnerIndependentMinistry of JusticeTabled Answered 22 December 2025UIN 99757

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the time required for a single judge to prepare written judgments in criminal cases tried without a jury.

Answered by Sarah Sackman

Post-reforms, any judge sitting alone in the Crown Court will give a reasoned judgment for their verdict in open court. This will increase transparency over how decisions to convict or acquit are reached as juries do not currently give reasons for their judgments.

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