Share |One of the great joys of English and Welsh Justice is the connection that a community can feel with its Magistrates' Court. Local people can apply to become magistrates and dispense local Justice in both criminal and family cases to those whpo appear before the Court.
Now some 140 Courts are to close.
Is this a bad thing? Yes. Was it inevitable? Yes, with this Government. Why? Because it is clear that price is much more important than worth. One cannot easily place a price tag on value.
The fact that people will have to travel further, that soem jobs will be lost, that the local connection will disappear is of concern. It also seems to conflict with the idea of the Big Society.
On the other hand the numbers of people coming to Court were reduced through Government policy (that is of the last Government) by allowing cautions and conditional cautions and Penalty Notices for Disorder to be issued on people who would have in the past appeared at Court. Allied to this is a reluctance-again as a result of Government policy-to charge people to Court unless they really are guilty. People who may in the past have pleaded or who may have been found guilty are not even charged with an offence. Too many people in the CPS are scared to make decisions that go against policy. Is this Justice?
Add into it the desire to reduce the numbers in custody-quite correctly-and I wonder how long it is before the ConDems start getting attacked by all sections of the community and media.
Now some 140 Courts are to close.
Is this a bad thing? Yes. Was it inevitable? Yes, with this Government. Why? Because it is clear that price is much more important than worth. One cannot easily place a price tag on value.
The fact that people will have to travel further, that soem jobs will be lost, that the local connection will disappear is of concern. It also seems to conflict with the idea of the Big Society.
On the other hand the numbers of people coming to Court were reduced through Government policy (that is of the last Government) by allowing cautions and conditional cautions and Penalty Notices for Disorder to be issued on people who would have in the past appeared at Court. Allied to this is a reluctance-again as a result of Government policy-to charge people to Court unless they really are guilty. People who may in the past have pleaded or who may have been found guilty are not even charged with an offence. Too many people in the CPS are scared to make decisions that go against policy. Is this Justice?
Add into it the desire to reduce the numbers in custody-quite correctly-and I wonder how long it is before the ConDems start getting attacked by all sections of the community and media.
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