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Jury Manual Published
For the first time the Lord Justice General has authorised that the Judicial Studies Committee Jury Manual be made available to the public and wider legal profession.
The Jury Manual began life over twenty years ago and was originally a much shorter and more informal collection of styles of charges exchanged among High Court judges. Today it is a very substantial document which contains useful information and guidance to judges who have the responsibility of charging juries in serious criminal trials.
The nature of the Jury Manual, which is reviewed annually, is that of an aide-memoire and has no binding legal authority. The possible forms of direction are not comprehensive; they simply provide a template to guide the judicial office holder in formulating a charge unique to the particular facts of the case before them.
The Jury Manual can be found here.