Lay People

8/19/2019 Lay People

1/19

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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AS Level Law

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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AS Level Law

• 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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AS Level Law

• 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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AS Level Law

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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AS Level Law

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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AS Level Law

%"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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AS Level Law

• 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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AS Level Law

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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AS Level Law

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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AS Level Law

"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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AS Level Law

$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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AS Level Law

&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/

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