Becoming A Magistrate
Discussion
A family friend is a magistrate and unfortunately I won't be seeing her for a while so can't ask her these questions directly, so wondered if anyone on here can help?
1. What are the criteria for being a magistrate? I'm 26 with no criminal history/speeding convictions/etc. (except one parking ticket received when my car broke down - b@st@rds!
) and hold down a professional job (management consultant). Would I qualify or am I too young/not 'respected' enough/etc.?
2. What is it like being a magistrate? Is it frustrating being bound by rules that force you to let people off with sentences below what you feel are appropriate?
3. What are the terms and conditions of the job? When do you have to work, how many hours/year do you have to do? Is it totally unpaid?
Thanks in adance.
roadie.
1. What are the criteria for being a magistrate? I'm 26 with no criminal history/speeding convictions/etc. (except one parking ticket received when my car broke down - b@st@rds!
) and hold down a professional job (management consultant). Would I qualify or am I too young/not 'respected' enough/etc.? 2. What is it like being a magistrate? Is it frustrating being bound by rules that force you to let people off with sentences below what you feel are appropriate?
3. What are the terms and conditions of the job? When do you have to work, how many hours/year do you have to do? Is it totally unpaid?
Thanks in adance.
roadie.
- sorry but they do tend to be the most hypocritical of all people 
Why would you want to do it?? They are mostly self-righteous, 50-year-old Doctors wives, with nothing better to do, a plummy accent and a hatred towards 'Oiks'. Oiks include speeding motorists, unfortunately. Excepting the Stipendiary Mags (who are legally qualified), they have very little legal knowledge and just enjoy giving judgement over the 'peasants'. They also enjoy being called 'Your worship' by the snivelling clerk. And from what I've seen (having sat in the public gallerys a fair amount during my university years) they think that theft and violence is less serious than traffic offences. And that the police/CPS are always right, unless overwhelming evidence to the contrary is presented for the defence. So much for the burden of proof on the prosecution.
jeremyadamson said:
Why would you want to do it?? They are mostly self-righteous, 50-year-old Doctors wives, with nothing better to do, a plummy accent and a hatred towards 'Oiks'.
I'll make sure to tell my mother this....
jeremyadamson said:
Oiks include speeding motorists, unfortunately. Excepting the Stipendiary Mags (who are legally qualified), they have very little legal knowledge and just enjoy giving judgement over the 'peasants'.
sorry again this isn't really true. They have to do a lot of training nowadays and have to learn lots in exactly the same way lawyers and their ilk do - by reading things. Not suggesting they're expert of course...but then you dont necessarily need to be an expert to try a speeding case do you?
jeremyadamson said:
They also enjoy being called 'Your worship' by the snivelling clerk. And from what I've seen (having sat in the public gallerys a fair amount during my university years) they think that theft and violence is less serious than traffic offences. And that the police/CPS are always right, unless overwhelming evidence to the contrary is presented for the defence. So much for the burden of proof on the prosecution.
Sadly I can't really disagree with a lot of this. A lot of them are out of touch and have some very odd views on what is and isn't important to most people, but then so is everyone else. No doubt if you were a magistrate you'd let off ALL speeders would you?
roadsweeper...I think your only problem is that you have to be 27.....they did decrease the age to get more magistrates (cos as said by Jeffrey they're all rather elderly) but I think it was only to 27.
bear in mind that it does require a minimum commitment of 2 days sitting a month as well as up to 14 days training a year....this may not sound a lot but it can be a pain to juggle around work....
Good luck to you!
Night
>> Edited by Nightmare on Monday 20th September 14:03
no offence taken mate - honest! Spent an afternoon at a training thing once where someone decided to go off on one about ahy all Italians are useless w**kers. Was very amused when he was finished, and was asking where we all came from, to be able to say "Salerno, Italy" - his face was an absolute picture!
I wish I could have disagreed with what you'd posted, but sadly its almost all true. More sadly is that I think your generalisations might well apply to a majority, rather than minority of mags.....
I wish I could have disagreed with what you'd posted, but sadly its almost all true. More sadly is that I think your generalisations might well apply to a majority, rather than minority of mags.....
jeremyadamson said:
Why would you want to do it??
jeremyadamson also said:
from what I've seen (having sat in the public gallerys a fair amount during my university years) they think that theft and violence is less serious than traffic offences. And that the police/CPS are always right, unless overwhelming evidence to the contrary is presented for the defence. So much for the burden of proof on the prosecution.
There you go.
Muncher said:
It would do your head in, apparently you're very constrained with regards sentencing.
Caught shoplifitng for the 200th time, have a £50 fine payable at £5 per month. See you next week...
This is what our family friend said. She has been frustrated on numerous occasions when she hasn't been allowed to hand out what she deems to be a sufficient sentence.
Bunch of arseholes........I am very qualified to comment as an old girlfriends father was a "top" one and managed to bag himself an MBE in the process, so I met loads of them......opinionated half moon glasses wearing hypercrits, lots were very racist too..........find something more worth while to do, such as Samaritans etc instead of heaping misery on motorists. (mostly)
poorcardealer said:
Bunch of arseholes........I am very qualified to comment as an old girlfriends father was a "top" one and managed to bag himself an MBE in the process, so I met loads of them......opinionated half moon glasses wearing hypercrits, lots were very racist too..........find something more worth while to do, such as Samaritans etc instead of heaping misery on motorists. (mostly)
This is the whole point, I hope that I might be able to improve things just a little bit. It's people getting involved and trying to change things, rather than standing by the sidelines and bleating, that is going to turn these things around. More people with 'reasonable' viewpoints and common sense should be trying to do this kind of thing.
I think what makes it difficult is the time demands. In fact, this might even be stopping the type of people who should be getting involved from actually doing so....
Just tell them that you believe in Corporate and Capital Punishment.
My mate did that and that stopped his selection rather promptly!
Sorry but I have no faith in any of them. Most are arrogant, self-opinionated tossers who have little regard for us commoners......
I found those with a little legal expertise the worst.
Just my view of course...
Oh and don't they just love to let everyone know that they are a magistrate.
My mate did that and that stopped his selection rather promptly!
Sorry but I have no faith in any of them. Most are arrogant, self-opinionated tossers who have little regard for us commoners......
I found those with a little legal expertise the worst.
Just my view of course...
Oh and don't they just love to let everyone know that they are a magistrate.
First and foremost, you would be required to have no formal legal qualifications.
You would be required to sit throughout the hearing occasioally raising your eyebrows and giving a very disearning glance.
Another academic qualification would be to not understand the difference between the word guilty and not guilty.
Finally you would be required at the end of the hearing to read out the statement provided by the Court Clerk of the Judgement that he/she as made from the said hearing.
If you meet with all the above criterea and you are somewhat incontenant then you may qualify to become a district Judge.
You would be required to sit throughout the hearing occasioally raising your eyebrows and giving a very disearning glance.
Another academic qualification would be to not understand the difference between the word guilty and not guilty.
Finally you would be required at the end of the hearing to read out the statement provided by the Court Clerk of the Judgement that he/she as made from the said hearing.
If you meet with all the above criterea and you are somewhat incontenant then you may qualify to become a district Judge.
cen said:
First and foremost, you would be required to have no formal legal qualifications.
You would be required to sit throughout the hearing occasioally raising your eyebrows and giving a very disearning glance.
Another academic qualification would be to not understand the difference between the word guilty and not guilty.
Finally you would be required at the end of the hearing to read out the statement provided by the Court Clerk of the Judgement that he/she as made from the said hearing.
If you meet with all the above criterea and you are somewhat incontenant then you may qualify to become a district Judge.
All the more reason for someone who really wants to do it for the right reasons to get involved. The country would be a better place if PHers got involved in this kind of thing.
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