Reforming the Role of Magistrates: Implications for Summary Justice in E ngland and W ales
Reforming the Role of Magistrates: Implications for Summary Justice in E ngland and W ales
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改革治安法官的角色：对英格兰和威尔士简易司法的影响
DOI：
10.1111/1468-2230.12097
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发表时间：
2014
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Donoghue J
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Donoghue J
在英格兰和威尔士，外行地方法官的角色在过去二十年的漫长改革进程中逐渐被削弱。目前的政府提案旨在通过设立新的行政职责，如监督庭外处置和更多地参与地方司法倡议，来重新定位和“加强”它们的职能。本文认为，虽然这些建议体现了必要和重要的改革领域，但孤立地看，它们将无法巩固治安法官在即决司法中的作用，除非它们与旨在重申非专业法官地位的其他措施一起颁布，并试图扭转以牺牲非专业法官为代价优先考虑行政效率的趋势。治安法官人数的迅速下降，加上法院不断关闭的计划，与非专业治安法官的未来生存能力是不可调和的。
The role of lay magistrates in England and Wales has been progressively undermined by protracted processes of reform over the last two decades. Current government proposals aim to reorient and ‘strengthen’ their function through the creation of new magisterial responsibilities such as oversight of out of court disposals and greater involvement with local justice initiatives. This article argues that while these proposals embody necessary and important areas for reform, taken in isolation they will fail to consolidate the role of magistrates in summary justice unless they are enacted alongside other measures which aim to reaffirm the status of lay justices, and which seek to reverse the trend which has prioritised administrative efficiency at the expense of lay justice. Rapidly declining magistrate numbers together with continuous (and continuing) programs of court closures are irreconcilable with the future viability of a lay magistracy.