Materials linked to
Chapter 10: "The Judiciary"
Clive Walker (with Appendix
by James Wood)
Content
“The function of the judiciary within the constitution of the United
Kingdom is to ensure that justice is done so far as possible...to both
the defendant and society in criminal trials...” Does the judiciary
live up to this mission statement? If miscarriages of justice occur,
then not only is the defendant treated very unjustly, but also society
(including the victims of crime) has not been accorded the gains in terms
of safety, retribution and possible rehabilitation which should flow from
an accurate conviction. This chapter will examine possible failings
which arise from the personnel by which justice is administered.
Taking the argument that case outcomes are constructions of fact as mediated
by social and professional perspectives, it must be worthwhile to
examine some aspects of the performance of the judiciary, who are undoubtedly
major players within the criminal justice system.
The first part of the chapter covers the performance of summary
justice.
The second part is on the higher criminal courts.
Linked web pages
Courts Service
(The Court Service which is an executive agency of the Lord Chancellor's
Department provides administrative
support to a number of courts and tribunals,
including the High Court, the Crown Court and the county courts.)
Lord Chancellor's
Department
(It has some informative pages specifically about "Judges
and QCs".)
Last Updated 3 June 1999
© Clive Walker, Centre for Criminal Justice Studies,
1999
10miscar.htm