Why are magistrates important

All three magistrates contribute equally to the decision-making but the Presiding Justice speaks on their behalf in court. Magistrates listen carefully to all evidence given in court and follow structured decision-making processes such as sentencing guidelines in criminal cases and case law to reach fair decisions. They are advised on points of law by a legal adviser who sits in court with them. Magistrates come from a range of backgrounds; they are ordinary people with common sense and the capacity to make fair decisions.

You must be aged between 18 and 70 and have no serious past criminal convictions. That means courts will have powers to deal with those who fail to comply with their supervision conditions, including being able to commit an offender to custody for up to 14 days.

We want to work with magistrates to deliver these new provisions, to get right the training and support they need to deal with these offenders and to involve them in how we rehabilitate offenders.

These are cases which magistrates could have sentenced; no, these are cases which magistrates should have sentenced; they already have the skills, capability and powers to do so.

This is why I want to work with magistrates to find out why these cases are being escalated, and address that. This is particularly important for young people, where the Youth Court is set up specifically to deal with children involved in criminal proceedings, whether as witnesses, defendants or both. We also need to get the balance right at the lower end of the spectrum as well. There is definitely a place for out-of-court disposals in ensuring justice is brought in cases which may otherwise not have come to court and as a proportionate response to some low-level offending.

But we need to make sure that it is only these cases which are getting out-of-court disposals, and that all cases which should properly be brought before a court are brought to court. These are some examples of where we can bring more of the right cases in front of magistrates, but there is more that we could do and I want to hear Magistrates suggestions and views. In the Offender Rehabilitation Bill we are giving magistrates more powers to help reduce reoffending. I want to explore whether there are other appropriate roles, compatible with Magistrates core role as judicial office-holders, which would benefit from their knowledge and experience, and help to reduce crime and reoffending, and make communities safer.

Another area where Magistrates have become much more involved in recent years is in community engagement. They build public confidence in sentencing, and teach young people about the law and the way that the justice system in England and Wales operates. These are great examples of the sort of local justice that we need to move towards - visible and continuous engagement with communities, working with local criminal justice agencies to understand the issues that affect those communities, and what can be done to resolve them.

I want to make sure that we are doing everything we can in this area, and that we are taking every opportunity we have to raise public understanding of summary justice.

The CJS needs to work in partnership to improve performance and provide a better service for victims. Not through top-down targets and measures but through a common understanding that a well performing criminal justice system is good for victims, is good for communities, and is good for the rehabilitation of offenders.

We developed them with practitioners across the system and this has enabled us, for the first time, to state clearly a common view of what we are all working towards:. I would like to have a discussion about what magistrates role is locally in making these outcomes happen, for the benefit of the system, and for the benefit of their communities. There has been some great work so far; stop delaying justice is a sentiment we can all support. Delay is bad for the victim, bad for the accused and bad for justice itself.

Magistrates are central to the success of our justice system and initiatives designed to improve the way cases are managed should have the training and support of JPs at the heart of them. This I believe is true of the Stop Delaying Justice programme which began last year and enters its second phase this summer, and is why I am really impressed with the way in which the magistracy and wider judiciary have taken the initiative with this work.

I know that the magistracy is already working locally to change listing patterns to enable the police to present a greater range of cases in court, releasing the CPS to concentrate on the more serious and complex cases. This is another great example of where I can see Magistrates working effectively with the wider CJS to improve the way that the justice system works in all our areas. This work is the start of a new way of working with the magistracy in matters which affect summary justice.

That is why we are holding these events now, at the beginning of the policy process, to ensure that it is their thoughts and ideas which form the heart of our policy building a world-class justice system.

Today we are also launching — for the first time — an online tool that will allow magistrates to put forward ideas on how they can become more involved in their communities to make them safer. Crucially the tool will allow magistrates to collaborate and develop these ideas so we can come up with a shared solution.

This is an exciting time of change for criminal justice. And I want to involve as many magistrates as I can in helping us to shape their role in the 21st Century. I know that in years the role of the magistracy in England and Wales has changed as much as society has, but magistrates are still as important and highly valued as ever.

Magistrates have been an essential part of the backbone of a successful society for centuries, and the changes I want to bring about will strengthen that vital role. I would now like to show you a short film that demonstrates the wealth of experience in the judiciary and will hopefully inspire you to play a part in shaping the future role of the magistrate. To help us improve GOV.

Or for a specific court, see below. Magistrates in the criminal court opens in a new tab. Magistrates in the youth court opens in a new tab. Magistrates in civil matters opens in a new tab. Magistrates in Family Proceedings Court opens in a new tab.