Richard Monkhouse JP Deputy Chairman JPs first appointed 1361 S - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Richard Monkhouse JP Deputy Chairman

• JPs first appointed 1361
• S

tarted to become more representative in 1919 when women allowed to be Magistrates.

• Magistrates’ Association formed in 1921,

governed under Royal Charter

• Aims include education of Magistrates and the

Public regarding the Criminal Justice S ystem.

• Magistrates in the Community (MIC)

started in 1990s

• Opened up the courts to the public
• 60 Branches around the country
• Material is current and verified
• National resource is a continuing

development

• S

econdary S chools

• Primary S

chools

• Colleges and Universities
• Adult Groups
• Interest Groups
• Groups within the Criminal Justice

S ystem, e.g. Police, Probation, Victim S upport, etc

• Factual
• Court visits
• S

entencing and seriousness exercises

• Mock trials
• S

tory cards

• National MCMT Competition
• Question Time Panels

Magistrates Criminal Justice S ystem S entencing Types of offence Consequences

Open days at court S itting in a court and witnessing what actually

• ccurs.

Talking to court users about their roles

Tailored to suit the audience. e.g. a couple of typical questions …

• Q. At what age can a person apply to become a Magistrate ?

A. 18 25 40

• Q. What would make an offence more serious?
• A. Group action

Violence Victim is public servant

… . can open up a wide range of discussions

Realistic cases. Offences from perspective of Victim and Offender Processes – what the law says we must do, can do and can’ t do.

Panels with different participants from within the Criminal Justice S ystem S entencers Lawyers Probation and Y

• uth Offending S

ervice Victims and Witnesses Focus on specific issues of importance to schools and students

Primary S chool Mock Trial S cripts

S cripts available from MA.

S tory Cards

Giving the whole class the opportunity to interpret a crime and its consequences in any way they want to.

National Magistrates’ Courts Mock Trial Competition (MA + Citizenship Foundation)

Y ears 8 and 9 S tudents prosecute and defend cases Learn about the law Develops confidence

• Liaison between teachers and sentencers as

experts

• How best to communicate with students
• Mixed set of presenters and skills
• Mixed demands from students
• Mixed skill levels
• Range of options needed
• Time constraints

• What else would you like to see
• How can you advise us about what works
• What about time constraints in S

econdary S chools

• Not seeking to recruit
• Not seeking to develop lawyers for the future
• Want to make people aware of how the

Criminal Justice S ystem works.

• Want the public to be able to make a better

more educated assessment of the CJS .

• Want to explode the myths