A WORLDWIDE study of attitudes towards dishonesty could help end the “lottery” of trial by jury for some criminal suspects, academics said today.
Experts at Brunel University and the British Science Association want a review of the way claims of theft and fraud are tried in court.
Two criminal solicitors believe a benchmark test for dishonesty in English law is flawed because it is based on an unattainable common standard.
Dr Stefan Fafinski and Dr Emily Finch want 20,000 people to complete an online survey to discover how public perceptions of dishonesty can vary.
Ms Finch said whether or not someone was convicted of dishonesty could be “somewhat of a lottery” because the attitudes of defendants, jurors and judges differed.
The survey is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
