Jury service in Jersey
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WQ.104/2026
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
BY DEPUTY M. TADIER OF ST. BRELADE
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON TUESDAY 7th APRIL 2026
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 14th APRIL 2026
Question
"In relation to jury service in Jersey, will the Minister –
- detail what demographic statistics, including the gender split of juries, have been recorded or published since January 2022;
- explain, if no such data are held, why this information is not collected and confirm whether she intends to begin collecting this data; and
- if no such data exist, advise what assurance she can provide that juries remain representative of the demographics of the Island's population?"
Answer
- No demographic statistics have been recorded or published since January 2022.
- This information is not collected because demographic characteristics do not form part of the jury selection process. Eligibility for jury service and the disqualifications from jury service are set out in Article 63 of the Criminal Procedure (Jersey) Law 2018. The process for selecting a jury for a specific trial is set out in Articles 64 to 66 of the 2018 Law, supplemented by the Criminal Procedure (Juries – Tirage) (Jersey) Regulations 2021. In summary, the process involves the random selection by the Viscount, using a bespoke piece of software, of a list of eligible, potential jurors (a jury list).
Whether to begin collecting this data would be a matter for the next Minister to consider, in consultation with Court Officers.
- Juries are selected on a principle of random selection, which is fundamental to our justice system. It is inherent in a system of random selection that juries may not be representative of the community.
In relation to the gender of jurors, a matter the Deputy raised during the recent debate on the Draft Criminal Justice (Procedures) (Jersey) Amendment Law 202-, Court Officers do not think there is evidence that fewer women than men serve on juries.