Magistrates
- Created by: [email protected]
- Created on: 03-04-18 23:39
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- Magistrates
- Personal qualities
- good character
- understanding and communication
- mature and sound temperament
- sound judgement
- commitment and reliability
- Requirements
- work 26 and a half days per year
- georgraphival limitations - must live in local area to reflect local area
- local knowledge
- gender balance and race balance (reflect makeup of country/reflect society we live in)
- minimum of 18 and maximum of 65 to apply
- financially stable people more likely to apply
- Ethnic balances
- 49% males and 51% females currently (equal representation)
- BAME slightly underrepresented (6% as opposed to 8% in general population)
- successful attempt to recruit more BAME (like in Burnley)
- Ineligible people
- those who commit serious offences or several minor offences are ineligible
- certain professions/occupations e.g. those who are already part of justice system
- anyone who has a conflict of interests e.g. police officers or magistrates' wife/husband
- because of the appearance to society
- certain professions/occupations e.g. those who are already part of justice system
- because of the appearance to society
- Advantages
- includes members of community so provides wider cross-section of society
- magistrates live/work near the courts they serve
- Disadvantage
- 'middle-class, middle-aged and middle-minded' - not true cross-section of local community
- inconsistencies in sentencing and decisions on bail
- lay magistrates tend to be prosecution-biased, believing the police too readily
- Personal qualities
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