Recruitment of Lay Magistrates in England and Wales.

4.  Lay Magistrates in England & Wales, are ordinary people from all walks of life.
Lay Magistrates can be the shop assistant serving you in the corner shop, or the
Fireman who lives next door, they come in all shapes and sizes.
Lay Magistrates are mixed in Gender, Ethnicity and Age, and should represent
the town that they live in.
Lay Magistrates are aged between 18-70.
Lay Magistrates must be available to carry out at least 26 half – day court sittings
a year.
As a Lay Magistrate you are not paid, but you do receive full training and travel
expenses paid back to you!

5.  Lay Magistrates in England & Wales, hear all applications for bail, they also hear
the less severe cases inside the Magistrate Court.
Lay Magistrates have the power to find a defendant (or person being tired) guilty
or not guilty.
As a Lay Magistrate you are responsible for hearing all evidence and facts of the
case, and if you find a defendant guilty, pass a suitable sentence of your choice.
As a Lay Magistrate, you will hear the less severe cases such as common assault,
drunk and disorderly, and minor criminal damage.
 As a Magistrate, you have the power to issue Fines, Unpaid community work, or
a prison sentence with a maximum of 6 months.
Larger and more complex crimes, as a Magistrate you would send to a Crown
Court.

6. *Are Good
Characters* *Are understanding*
*Have good communication skills*
*Have good social awareness
skills*
*Are committed*
*Are reliable*
*Have a good sound judgement*
*Are Mature*
*Are Honest*
*Are Volunteers*
*Are not legally qualified
in anyway, and do not
need ANY qualifications*

7. Simply follow the steps on the website below, and fill out the application form.
You will need to apply to the advisory committee for your local court.
Check the list of advisory committees to find out if there are any vacancies in
your area, and where you need to apply.
A good idea would be to visit your local court, and check that the role is right
for you.
https://www.gov.uk/become-magistrate/apply-to-be-a-magistrate

8. Bibliography:
Blurr, S., 2000. Become a magistrate. [Online]
Available at: http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Employment/Article/Becoming_a_Magistrate-100243.html
[Accessed 01 june 2014]
Hughes, B., 2014. The Magistrates' Court. University Centre Blackburn College : s.n.
Gov.uk, 2014. Criminal Courts. [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/courts/magistrates-courts
[Accessed 18 November 2014].