lay magistrates

Question 1

role of lay magistrates

Answer 1

• volunteer judicial officers in mags court
• hear summary offences , some either way offences, handle preliminary hearings for indictable offences
• and some civil matters e.g family proceedings/ licensing

Question 2

jurisdiction for lay mags

Answer 2

• deal with summary offences
• handle some either way offences
• deal with preliminary hearings for indictable offences

Question 3

qualifications to become lay mag

Answer 3

• ages 18-65
• good character, sound judgement
• ability to understand and communicate well
• must be reliable and committed to that role

Question 4

disqualifications for lay mags

Answer 4

-certain professions e.g police officers , armed forces
- ppl with serious criminal convictions / undischarged bankruptcy
- close relative working in legal system = disqualify someone

Question 5

appointment process

Answer 5

apply by local advisory committees- lac
- do interview, to assess qualities e.g judgement
- successful= recommended by lord chancellor on lord of chiefs justice behalf

Question 6

training of lm

Answer 6

• first training given by judicial college
• covers areas e.g judicial awareness , legal proceedings , sentencing
• given ongoing training

Question 6

mentoring and appraisal

Answer 6

• new mags = given mentor for guidance
• annual appraisal to make sure they’re doing well
• performance reviews every few years

Question 7

adv of lm

Answer 7

cost effective - no salary , only small allowance
local knowledge , = help make decisions relevant to community
community inolvenemt in justice system

Question 7

dis of lm

Answer 7

• potential bias / inconsistent judgment
• lack legal expertise compared to actual judges
• some argue = make decisions based on personal views rather than law