You may be wondering what's been happening since my shock announcement that I'm to become a Magistrate. You might imagine lots of training, loads of paperwork. Maybe even a Magistrate Boot-Camp where all the rookie JPs get together to do lots of chin-ups and use bayonets on straw dummies while yelling a lot.
Actually nothing of the kind. The whole process takes place at a maddeningly sedate pace with months and months of nothing-at-all-happening. At the start of June I got the nod, sent back the paperwork and not much happened since. I've been reading everything I can find on the web and watching box-sets of "The Bill" but apart from that I'm as unprepared to become a cog in the criminal justice system as I ever was.
So nothing continues to happen. I'll let you know when it stops happening.
Update : Criminal Records "Disclosure" form came back today confirming that I have lived a blameless life. Either that or I've been 100% successful in hiding my criminal empire. Either way, another baby step forward.
5 comments:
Actually if you cotinue to wait, even more nothing might happen. Thanks to SSSJ, where, unless the police are almost sure of a guilty plea, cautions are being given out for, say, serious assaults. So my bench have been advised that all our court sittings will have to be reduced as courts are cancelled. Fact. I don't blame the police, the stats and burden on them would be enourmous. Of course it is the politians to blame. More ill advised, not thought through, hurried legislation from a party I have spent years supporting. Justice? I don't think so. Justice of the Peace - who needs them?
Oh dear - I was rather hoping to experience a few heady months of doe-eyed naive idealism before reality struck. Oh well ..
I had heard of SSSJ (Simple, Speedy, Summary Justice - http://www.durham.police.uk/durhamc/projects/index.php#SJ)and it actually sound pretty straight-forward sensible stuff but I'll take another look at the small-print now.
On the surface it is but, because of the timescale constraints the police do not have time to collect all the evidence required for the cps to press charges, thus unless a rock solid case they are not proceeding. Sorry for bursting the bubble, don't let me, it is truly still worth it, honest. I was in court yesterday we do a really important valuable role of which I'm extremely proud.
The law involves a lot of hanging around, for defendants lawyers and the bench.
It's worth it, though.
Thanks both for the vote of confidence. It must be so much worse for those waiting on remand while the wheels do their slow grinding thing - I really have little to complain about - just keen to get started.
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