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AS Level Law
Legal Personnel
Lay People
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AS Level Law
What You Need to Know:
•The selection, appointment and role of the magistrate.
•The selection and role of the jury.What You Need to Discuss:
•The social, racial and gender composition of the magistracy.
•The arguments for and against lay magistrates.
•The arguments for and against the use of the jury.
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Introduction
• ELS makes extensive use of lay people
• sometimes for expertise (e.g. triunal memers!
• " main lay institutions # magistracy and jury (longhistory $ mags %%&', juries %"%'! amateur nature
• ring values and common sense of ordinary people
into the system
• prevents system ecoming property of a legal elite
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AS Level Law
Magistrates
• approx )*,*** lay magistrates $ part$time + unpaid
• some minor civil jurisdiction
• mainly concerned ith criminal matters (approx &'-of all criminal trials in mags cts!
summary trials
Early /dministrative 0earings hearing ail applications
issuing arrants
http://www.magistrates-association.org.uk/http://www.magistrates-association.org.uk/
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• no formal 1ualifications re1uired $ must live ithin %'miles of commission area (local justice!
• appointed y Lord 2hancellor on recommendation
from a Local /dvisory 2ommittee
• L/2 memership mostly serving and retired mags
• vacancies advertised3volunteers sought from local
community groups3most ne mags knon personallyor y reputation to L/2
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• limited training had een criticised $ 45T6 cominescompetence$ased and mentoring approaches $ magsmust also maintain 78L
Advantages:
lo cost
community participation $ local justice y local people
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Criticisms:
social composition $ most from professional andmanagerial classes, mainly hite and middle$class
L28 aims to address this through ne 5ational9ecruitment Strategy and 4agistrates ShadoingScheme
inade1uate training hence 45T6
prosecution and conviction$minded due to socialackground
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inconsistencies in sentencing (some inevitale ifmags are to reflect local concerns3circumstances! 0ome :ffice statistics "**% e.g. magistrates in
Southeast 5orthumerland gave an asolute orconditional discharge to ;'.
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AS Level Law
however
• alternatives (e.g. more 8istrict >udges! ouldincrease costs and diminish community involvement
therefore
• need to introduce measures to roaden the socialand racial composition of the lay magistracy L28
initiatives therefore elcome
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AS Level Law
Juries
• no rare in civil cases
• criminal cases $ %" jurors $ decide facts and reach
verdict (2ourt Service leaflet!• no training $ shon short video explaining selection,role, trial procedure
• eligiility $ >uries /ct %&=;
aged %?$=*, on electoral register, @A resident for' years B
http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/using_courts/jury/index.htmhttp://www.courtservice.gov.uk/using_courts/jury/index.htm
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AS Level Law
ineligile (e.g. clergy, mentally$ill!
dis1ualified (e.g. significant criminal record!
re1uest excusal as of right (e.g.
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%"3%% jurors $ %* must agree %* jurors $ & must agree
& jurors $ must e unanimous
• if jury falls elo & or fails to reach verdict, case isdischarged and may e re$tried efore different jury
• 2ontempt of 2ourt /ct %&?% makes jury research
difficult in @A (ut see results of research in5e Dealand! (uardian article! (8aryshire et al
survey for /uld 9evie!
http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/documents/publications/PP37Vol1.pdfhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4041149,00.htmlhttp://www.kingston.ac.uk/~ku00596/elsres01.pdfhttp://www.kingston.ac.uk/~ku00596/elsres01.pdfhttp://www.kingston.ac.uk/~ku00596/elsres01.pdfhttp://www.kingston.ac.uk/~ku00596/elsres01.pdfhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4041149,00.htmlhttp://www.lawcom.govt.nz/documents/publications/PP37Vol1.pdf
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• studies of FshadoC juries sho no set pattern utgenerally serious approach $ strong individuals candominate
Advantages: symolic value
FperverseC verdicts (e.g. ac1uitting 4S sufferers of
cannais possession!
safeguard against oppression
spreads urden of determining guilt
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/jury/article/0,2763,426241,00.htmlhttp://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/jury/article/0,2763,426241,00.htmlhttp://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/jury/article/0,2763426241,00.html
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Disadvantages:
open to intimidation
understand complex evidenceG (e.g. fraud trials!
sayed y clever advocacy rather than evidenceG
may ring prejudices into the jury room
@nrepresentative (many professionals and middle$class people are ale to exploit the present categoriesof excusal to avoid service!
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Criminal Justice ill and !uries:
• allo the prosecution to apply for trial ithout juryhere there is a danger of jury tampering
• allo the prosecution to apply for trial ithout jury incomplex or lengthy cases
• remove all categories of excusal as of right andsignificantly restrict discretionary excusal. :nly thementally disordered ill e ineligile and those ith asignificant criminal record dis1ualified
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AS Level Law
Conclusion
• of many enefits, most significant is communityparticipation
• in this respect, oth lay magistracy and juries aree1ually significant
• reforms necessary, most urgently to roaden socialand racial composition of magistracy
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"evision #eadings:
Lay $ 6ntroduction
Lay $ 9ole37oers of 4ags
Lay
$ /ppt3Training of 4agsLay $ Evaluation (4ags!
Lay $ 9ole of >uries
Lay $ Selection3Eligiility for >ury Service
Lay $ Evaluation (>uries!Lay $ 2onclusion
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$est %uestions:
@sing you cards, you should no e ale to rite a short paragraphin response to each of the folloing 1uestions
• 8escrie the reliance upon lay participation in the English legalsystem.
• 8escrie the roles and poers of lay magistrates.
• 0o effective is the lay magistracy in delivering local justice y
local peopleG• 8escrie the selection of jurors and their role in the trial.
• 8iscuss the advantages and disadvantages of the jury.
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&seful We'sites: For more information on magistrates - www.dca.gov.uk/magistrates.htm andwww.magistrates-association.org.uk For more information on the Judicial Studies Board - www.jsboard.co.uk For more information on jury service -
www.courtservice.gov.uk/using_courts/jury/inde.htm and www.juror.cjsonline.orgFor a series of interesting articles on juries! visit the Guardian at www.guardian.co.uk
/jury/ and www.guardian.co.uk/jury/article/"!#$%&!'#%#'(!"".htmlFor information on research into jury trial undertaken for the )ew *ealand +aw
,ommission! visit www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/rchive/rticle/"!'#$&!'"'(('!"".html!
www.lawcom.govt.n/documents/0ublications/11.0df !
www.lawcom.govt.n/documents/0ublications/11&$2ol(.0df!
www.lawcom.govt.n/documents/0ublications/11&$2ol#.0df and
www.lawcom.govt.n/documents/0ublications/r%.13FFor 1enny 3arbyshire! ndy 4aughan and ngus Stewart5s work on jury research for the
uld 6eview of the criminal courts! visit www.kingston.ac.uk/7ku""8%/elsres"(.0df
http://www.magistrates-association.org.uk/http://www.jsboard.co.uk/http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/using_courts/jury/index.htmhttp://www.juror.cjsonline.org/http://www.guardian.co.uk/jury/http://www.guardian.co.uk/jury/http://www.guardian.co.uk/jury/article/0,2763,426241,00.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4041149,00.htmlhttp://www.lawcom.govt.nz/documents/publications/PP32.pdfhttp://www.lawcom.govt.nz/documents/publications/PP32.pdfhttp://www.lawcom.govt.nz/documents/publications/PP32.pdfhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4041149,00.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/jury/article/0,2763,426241,00.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/jury/http://www.guardian.co.uk/jury/http://www.juror.cjsonline.org/http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/using_courts/jury/index.htmhttp://www.jsboard.co.uk/http://www.magistrates-association.org.uk/