Jury age limit to rise from 70 to 75 in England and Wales

updated on 11 September 2013

The age limit for jurors in England and Wales is to be raised from 70 to 75, the government announced last month.

The change is intended to make the jury system more inclusive and reflective of modern society, which has seen life expectancies increase since the rules were last reviewed in 1988, when the age limit was raised from 65 to 70. The new rules will expect those aged 70-75 to serve as jurors when called upon unless they have valid reasons for exemption, such as caring responsibilities or a medical condition.

The change will require the government to pass primary legislation. A bill will be put to parliament for discussion early in 2014.

Many legal experts have welcomed the move, including the director of the University College London Jury Project, professor Cheryl Thomas, who said to the BBC: "Virtually every other common law jurisdiction that has a jury system currently has no upper age limit at all for jury service. This new policy change will bring England and Wales up to speed with the rest of the common law systems."