More than 4,000 defendants each year are sent to the Crown Court for sentencing when they could be dealt with in the magistrates’ court, costing valuable money and time Justice Minister Damian Green said today.
In a wide-ranging speech he set out the extremely valuable role that magistrates play in delivering justice locally and announced that that the Government will be working with magistrates to maximise their responsibilities and modernise their role.
Justice Minister Damian Green said:
“Magistrates are truly the cornerstone of our justice system; not only that, they are a model of what a good citizen should be. They volunteer to give their skills, expertise and time for the good of others, for nothing. We are lucky to have them, and we should be proud of them.”
“However, four out of ten defendants sent to the crown court for sentencing received custodial sentences that could have been handed in the magistrates’ court - we need to look at why this is happening and if we need to do more to make the best use of magistrates. We need to keep the right cases in the right court if we are to have a modern justice system in a fair society.”
Prospective MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole Michael Tomlinson said:
“I have worked as a barrister in Dorset for the past 10 years. I am particularly interested in exploring new roles for magistrates in cutting crime locally, for example by scrutinising the police’s use of out of court disposals (such as cautions).
In the past, victims of crime have had to go to the High Court to review a decision not to prosecute, such as I had to do to help a victim of crime in Poole. However, this is an expensive and uncertain process. These proposals would help victims of crime in our area.”