NCJ Number
176257
Date Published
1995
Length
176 pages
Annotation
This volume explains the structure, functions, operations, and personnel of magistrates' courts in England and Wales and defines approximately 750 words, phrases, and abbreviations in regular use in connection with the courts.
Abstract
The discussion notes that the courts and sentencing have changed considerably as a result of the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994 and three Acts of Parliament dealing with sentencing. Nevertheless, magistrates' courts continue to consist mainly of lay judges who sit on the bench two or three times each month as a form of public service and dispense local justice with the advice and support of justices' clerks and other legal advisors. The country's 30,000 magistrates serve in about 600 court centers; they have the same training and follow the same laws and procedures. They handle about 98 percent of all prosecuted crime in England and Wales and handle juvenile and family cases in the youth court and family proceedings court, respectively. They also issue search warrants and grant or refuse betting, alcohol sales, and other licenses. Figures, sample materials, glossary, and list of other publications from the same publisher