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| Are you a UK magistrate? Share your experiences Are you a UK magistrate? Share your experiences | |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| The number of justices of the peace in England and Wales has declined sharply from 30,000 in 2006 to 17,500 now. Court closures, falling crime rates and a relative increase in the number of full-time district judges have all been blamed for the decline. | The number of justices of the peace in England and Wales has declined sharply from 30,000 in 2006 to 17,500 now. Court closures, falling crime rates and a relative increase in the number of full-time district judges have all been blamed for the decline. |
| Campaign groups have responded to the justice select committee report by saying the magistracy is “in crisis” after it found low morale and a lack of diversity among magistrates. | Campaign groups have responded to the justice select committee report by saying the magistracy is “in crisis” after it found low morale and a lack of diversity among magistrates. |
| Around 53% of magistrates are women and 89% are white. Many benches have no or few members from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. More than 86% are over the age of 50. “Rebalancing the age profile of the magistracy is unlikely to happen unless more is done to overcome the barriers facing employed magistrates,” the report notes. “We recommend the creation of a kitemark scheme that recognises and rewards employers who support the magistracy.” | Around 53% of magistrates are women and 89% are white. Many benches have no or few members from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. More than 86% are over the age of 50. “Rebalancing the age profile of the magistracy is unlikely to happen unless more is done to overcome the barriers facing employed magistrates,” the report notes. “We recommend the creation of a kitemark scheme that recognises and rewards employers who support the magistracy.” |
| Does the report reflect your experience? Why do you think there’s a decline in numbers? How do you think recruitment and diversity could be improved? | Does the report reflect your experience? Why do you think there’s a decline in numbers? How do you think recruitment and diversity could be improved? |
| Share your experiences and views | Share your experiences and views |
| If you are a magistrate, have been a magistrate or are thinking of becoming a magistrate we would like to hear from you. You can share your experiences by filling out the form below – anonymously if you wish – and we’ll use some of the most interesting perspectives in an article on the Guardian. | If you are a magistrate, have been a magistrate or are thinking of becoming a magistrate we would like to hear from you. You can share your experiences by filling out the form below – anonymously if you wish – and we’ll use some of the most interesting perspectives in an article on the Guardian. |
| We are interested in your experiences of the service rather than specific cases, but will treat your contributions confidentially. | We are interested in your experiences of the service rather than specific cases, but will treat your contributions confidentially. |