Vice President of the Criminal Cassation Court of the Supreme Court explored the functioning of the British jury trial model

Last week, at the invitation of the Ministry of Justice of the United Kingdom, Vice President of the Criminal Cassation Court within the Supreme Court, Nataliia Antoniuk, paid an official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as part of the Ukrainian delegation. The visit was dedicated to studying the operation and functioning of the jury trial system in the United Kingdom.

As part of the study visit, a meeting was held with the UK Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice, Sarah Sackman. The discussion focused on the concept of citizen participation in the administration of justice. The Ukrainian delegation was presented with the jury trial system, the procedure for jury selection, and other procedural aspects.

The delegation also held a series of meetings with judges of the St Albans Crown Court and attended a court hearing, which provided an opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the advanced British experience in the functioning of jury trials. In addition, working meetings were held with Dominic Lake, Deputy Director for Constitutional Policy and International Rule of Law at the Ministry of Justice; Ben Fender, Director of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate; Professor Cheryl and Lord Ponsonby; Ester Franklin, Deputy Crime Service Manager; William Brim, Deputy Director of the National Services (Law Enforcement and Crime); Marta Corti, Head of the Legal Services Development and Promotion Department; and Laura McDevitt, representative of the Criminal Justice Reform Department of the Scottish Government, among others. The participants also met with the leadership of the Jury Central Summoning Bureau (JCSB) and became acquainted with the jury summoning process through a demonstration virtual environment.

The UK’s experience in enabling citizens to participate in the administration of justice through the jury system is of particular value, given its long history and significant achievements developed over many years.

The Ukrainian delegation also included representatives of the Parliament of Ukraine, among them: Serhii Ionushas, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement; Halyna Mykhailiuk, Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada / Deputy Chair of the Committee; Maksym Pavliuk, Deputy Chair of the Committee; Vladlen Nekliudov, Chair of the Subcommittee; Volodymyr Areshonkov, Member of the Committee; and Members of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy — Mykola Stefanchuk and Serhii Vlasenko.