Magistrates' Courts Need 'younger, More Diverse Recruits'

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37689255

I have been approached in the past, by friends who serve on the Bench, to train a Magistrate. I am still not sure.

Any other AB'ers who have considered....even more important....do we have any Magistrates here on AB !

[mikey4444]

Come on guys....play nicely ! This post wasn't meant result in blood-letting !

We clearly need some new blood in the system. It doesn't show in the link but we need to replace all the Magistrates that have left, as well as expand sideways, if you know what I mean.

I have a friend that has been a Magistrate since he was 28 and he is now 50. He is just an ordinary Postman, and it appears that Royal Mail has been entirely OK about him taking 1-2 days off every month. My previous employer, when I was a Financial Adviser would have blown his top if I had asked for any time off, and even if he had agreed, he would have expected me to work on Sundays, to make up for lost time.

This Postman friend of mine is now starting to see the children of men he first dealt with in Court, and his older colleagues are now seeing the grandchildren of the those same men !

[andy-hughes]

Fair point mikey.

AOG has - unwittingly and unintentionally I am sure - touched a seriously raw nerve, but I have had my say, and I will leave it there.

[mikey4444]

Thanks Andy. My advice, for what it is worth, is to try to ignore the usual moaners on here....I do and it seems to work !

I did ask earlier, if any of our regular AB correspondents are Magistrates, but got no reply.......anyone like to own up ?

[anotheoldgit]

andy-hughes

I feel I must apologise to you, I had no idea of the type of father you were so unfortunate to have.

So in the circumstances, I now take my unfair criticism of you back, and also now fully understand how your traumatic childhood as contributed to your adult mental state.

Once again, my full apologies.

[hereIam]

How sad to have such an abusive father andy, it is indeed good to have loving, wonderful parents x

[jno]

mikey, if you've got the time and the inclilnation, do it. It's regrettable that the job is unpaid, but that's a choice for you to make.

[andy-hughes]

AOG - //andy-hughes

I feel I must apologise to you, I had no idea of the type of father you were so unfortunate to have.

So in the circumstances, I now take my unfair criticism of you back, and also now fully understand how your traumatic childhood as contributed to your adult mental state.

Once again, my full apologies. //

Thank you so much, your apology has genuinely touched me, and I do sincerely appreciate it.

I think I in turn must apologise for 'going off on one' - as I mentioned in my post to Mikey, you were unaware of the background to my tirade, and I know you well enough to know that you would not consciously cause any distress in that way.

So again, thank you, and onwards ...

[andy-hughes]

hereIam - //How sad to have such an abusive father andy, it is indeed good to have loving, wonderful parents x //

Thank you.

The best thing to come out of it has been my avowed daily intention to ensure that my children do not feel that way about me - something I a proud to say I have achieved.

[anotheoldgit]

andy-hughes

Thank you much appreciated.

[dave50]

If younger people or those from ethnic minorities don't want to become magistrates then that's it, end of story, you cant force them.

[jno]

nobody's going to be forced; the question is whether they're even being invited.

[Barmaid]

I am not convinced age comes into it. I would say that the qualities needed are ability to listen to and evaluate lots of facts (sometimes complex); the ability to apply the law (on which you receive direction from the Legal Adviser and submissions from the Advocates); the ability to do that fairly and without prejudice; to be even handed in approach; not to allow personal beliefs to influence your judgement; a sense of humour (seriously you would need this); and a commitment to seeing justice being done. As long as you can do all that, age is irrelevant.

I have seen some wonderful magistrates of all ages who possess all of those qualities in abundance and who have made sensible decisions. I have also seen magistrates again of all ages who lack one or more and are influenced too much by their personal and overly judgemental views and very often are on a bit of a power trip. Thankfully there are rights of appeal against such muppets.

I do agree that the perception is that there are not enough younger people. My experience was that benches were largely made up of the white middle classes. Although bear in mind geography may have something to do with that.

[youngmafbog]

The problem is many at 30 will not listen, they think they know it all. We see this all the time with many youngsters.

Once people have had families or some form of responsibility then they are ready, but for most that will not be 30.

And for most wisdom does come with age. I am quite a different person to what I was like when young, same can be said of most of my friends.

Mickey, you can 'dismiss' my comment all you like, but seeing some of the sentences for some individuals shows the liberal left have indeed infiltrated the judiciary including Magistrates.

[youngmafbog]

It appears you are not invited you apply.

Unless there is a suggestion that ethnic minorities are being blackballed?

[jourdain2]

I've not read what went on before, it sounds to have become somewhat heated. About 20 years ago I read an ad. in the local paper, an invitation to attend an introductory meeting for anyone who might be interested in becoming a magistrate. It was open to all. This was in Bradford and all attendees were white. I went to 3 sessions (numbers reducing all the time) before reluctantly deciding that, at that time in my life, I could not commit.

I would still love to do it and now have the time and enough contact with young people to be, I think, of value - but I am near to the compulsory retirement age for magistrates to probably not be accepted :(

[jno]

ymb, mikey says he was "approached" by friends on the bench. I don't know how much of an invitation that amounts to, but my question is still what people are approached in this manner? If ethnic minorites aren't already represented, what friends would approach them?

[Quizproquo]

I think it's a bit like politics. On the surface it's open invitation but the reality is it's an "old boys network" that has gone on for so long it's just one of those things.
I would guess you'd stand a far better chance of being selected if you were a mason or a soroptimist or that kind of thing, because that's the way it's always been.
I know people who are both of those things and the doors that open for them are amazing.

[anneasquith]

My experience...... Magistrates are very right wing and fail to appreciate the current atmosphere of modern life .

[jno]

I think that's at the heart of mikey's question. Whatever the theory, in practice the biases ingrained in them a century ago have become self-perpetuating.