A new criminal offence for jurors?

The difficulties attaching to jury trial in the age of the smartphone are reflected in new proposals that jurors who search out information about their cases may face prison for contempt of court, following several problems cases abandoned, jurors jailed and jurors dismissed. other proposals include allowing judges to confiscate mobile phones and compelling media organisations to remove certain news stories from their sites.Although some of these powers already exist under the common law, it is felt that putting them on a statutory footing would provide clear guidance for jurors. Although opinion is divided as to the merits of the proposed changes, with some commentators seeing it as a sledgehammer to crack a nut this is a good story to use with your students about both juries and also law reform, as the proposals emanate from the Law Commission.