Lay magistrates advantages and disadvantages
- Created by: Shannon Cunningham
- Created on: 12-05-14 13:00
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- Lay Magistrates Advantages and Disadvantages
- cost savings
- Magistrates claim £500 per year compared to a salary in excess of £100,000 for a district judge.
- Magistrates court cost around £1500 compared to £13500 in the crown court
- public confidence
- the public have trust and confidence in Magistrates as they are not professional members of the criminal justice system
- local knowledge
- As magistrates must come from the local community, they can use their local knowledge when dealing with Defendants
- Magistrates are fair
- Lay magistrates sitting as a bench of 3 are less likely to make mistakes of fact.
- Magistrates receive training so are seen to be more Efficient than a jury
- Unrepresentative of society
- Often described as 'middle aged', middle class and middle minded. Only 4% of magistrates are under the age of 40 and 33% are over the age of 60.
- Prosecution minded
- the acquittal rate in the magistrates court is 20% of those Defendants who plead not guilty.
- By comparison lay juries in the Crown court acquit around=d 60% of defendants.
- the acquittal rate in the magistrates court is 20% of those Defendants who plead not guilty.
- Inefficent
- Magistrates work very slowly compared to professionals such as district judges. the actual cost of running the Magistrate court rises simply because each case takes longer to hear.
- E.g -in legal fees and court wages.
- Magistrates work very slowly compared to professionals such as district judges. the actual cost of running the Magistrate court rises simply because each case takes longer to hear.
- Bias towards police
- Magistrates become 'case hardened' and prefer the evidence of the police, who they come to know rather than the Defendant.
- cost savings
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