Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice

Review the role of juries in rape trials.

Closed 299 signatures

What the petition asks

We call on the government to consider whether jurors on rape trials should be vetted, trained or even replaced by a panel of experts trained in all aspects of sexual behaviour and violence.
< 2% of reported rape cases go to trial. The police and CPS won’t put forward cases that won’t get past a jury. Based on YouGov research from 2018 on ‘Public Attitudes to Sexual Consent’, on average four members of a jury could think that rape by coercion isn’t rape, three could think that rape in a relationship isn’t rape and one could be unsure if rape when the other person is drunk or asleep is rape. We live in a society where misogyny is rife, where rape culture is creating a hostile environment for some schoolgirls, where some men send vile messages to women who speak out about harassment, and where even some police have been exposed as thinking it’s ok to joke about raping women. Victims deserve justice and the current system only rarely delivers it.

Timeline

1 Apr 2022 Petition opened for signatures
15 Oct 2022 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 299
Status Closed
Department Ministry of Justice
Opened 1 Apr 2022
Closed 15 Oct 2022

Follow this petition

Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.

Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.