Thousands of cases that would usually be heard in front of a jury should be decided by judges alone, according to recommendations made by a former senior judge.
Sir Brian Leveson was asked by the Lord Chancellor to come up with a series of proposals to reduce the backlog of cases in the criminal courts.
Almost 77,000 cases are waiting for trial in the Crown Court in England and Wales, meaning some defendants and victims are waiting years for justice.
After reviewing the state of the criminal courts, Sir Brian suggested "fundamental" reforms to "reduce the risk of total system collapse". But some arristers argue that juries are essential for fair justice, and scrapping them is wrong.
To fix what he calls a broken system, Sir Brian has suggested having judge-only trials for some instances, such as fraud and bribery.
Another recommendation involves having more out-of-court resolutions, like cautions.
He wants a new division of the Crown Court with two magistrates and a judge to handle less serious offences, and to increase the number of sentence reductions for guilty pleas at the first opportunity offered.
The goal here is to shorten the process in order to reduce the large backlog. "Our cr minal justice system stands at a critical juncture," said Sir Brian, who was requested to look into the matter in December last year.
Challenged on BBC Breakfast whether the right to a jury trial in the UK was a fundamental right, Sir Brian said: "You say it's a fundamental right - your right is your right to a fair trial.
"One of the consequences of the delay is that victims, witnesses, and indeed defendants are kept waiting for years and years and can't move on with their lives. Something has to be done to address that.
"These cases will get delayed more and more if we don't do something very dramatic." Sir Brian added: "These are not small tweaks but fundamental changes that will seek to make the system fit for the 21st century."
The proposals would mean more cases will be heard in the magistrates' courts, with jury trials reserved for the most serious cases.
Drug possession, bike theft, and voyeurism, among other offenses that can be heard in a Crown Court or a magistrates court and have a maximum custodial sentence of two years or less, may receive lesser penalties of one year in prison or lessDefendantsss in cases for offences including assault of an emergency worker, stalking, and possessing an indecent photograph of a child would also no longer be able to choose a jury trial.
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