Britain doubles the sentencing of justice of the peace to tackle the backlog caused by the pandemic

The British government has doubled the justice of the peace’s decision to reduce the unprocessed portion of the criminal justice system caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said on May 2 that security judges in England and Wales could be sentenced to 12 months in prison for a single breach, a move that would result in about 1,700 days of imprisonment each year. Time is expected to be released.

Justice of the peace is a volunteer listening to the case in a local court. Each case is usually heard by three justices of the peace, including a justice of the peace trained to act as chairman. The court’s legal counsel will advise you on the law and ensure that the justice of the peace follows the correct procedure.

All criminal cases begin with the Magistrates’ Court, which hands the most serious crimes, including murder, rape, and robbery, to the Magistrates’ Court.

Previously, justice of the peace could only be issued in prison for up to 6 months. According to MoJ, doubling the right of judgment could result in more decisions in the Magistrates’ Court. This means that the Criminal Court can focus its resources on handling more serious and complex cases.

The ministry said security judges and legal counsel were trained prior to the change to ensure they knew how best to use the new authority.

Justice Minister Dominic Raab said:

“Providing faster and more effective justice for victims by allowing the additional 30 Nightingale Courts, Digital Hearings, and Criminal Courts currently open to hear as many cases as possible in the next fiscal year. Offers.”

Bev Higgs, the national chairman of the Justice of the Peace Association, welcomed the move and said, “It can only benefit all court users of defendants, plaintiffs and witnesses.”

However, the move has been strongly criticized by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which represents the practice of barristers in England and Wales.

Jo Sidhu QC, the chair of the organization, said: Accumulation of trials. “

The CBA said one of the biggest issues contributing to the unprocessed portion was the number of unresolved Criminal Court trials that were unaffected by the change in the judge’s voting rights.

PA Media contributed to this report.

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