What is a magistrate?
Magistrates, also known as Justices of the Peace, are ordinary
members of the community who are willing to volunteer some of their
time in order to administer justice in their local area.
Magistrates are people with common sense and integrity and tend to
deal with less serious offences such as criminal damage, public
disorder and motoring offences. Magistrates are advised by a court
clerk on matters relating to procedure and law.
What are the duties of a magistrate?
Being ordinary members of the community, magistrates are not
expected to have any background in law or policing. They sit as one
of three on a “Bench” of Magistrates, one of who acts as a Chair
and who speaks on behalf of the other two. The magistrates role is
to consider the evidence fairly and objectively. If the defendant
pleads guilty or is found guilty then it is the job of the
magistrate to pass sentence.
Who can become a magistrate?
Magistrates are people with common sense and personal integrity;
they have a good knowledge of people and their local community and
have the ability to listen to all sides of an argument and
contribute to fair and reasonable decisions. They must be reliable
and have the time to give to this important task. Magistrates come
from a wide range of ethnic and social backgrounds and occupations,
and they are appointed so that the bench is a representative cross
section of the local community.
The following conditions apply:
- must sit for a minimum of 26 half days per year;
- you should live/work near the Bench at which you are
appointed;
- un-discharged bankrupts and those convicted of serious offences
are ineligible to apply;
- must be between 27 and 65 years of age.
Would you like to know more?
If you would like more information or are interested in becoming
a magistrate, please visit the Department for Constitutional
Affairs web site at
http://www.dca.gov.uk/magistrates/index.htm.