General Chat

Lammy wants 18 year olds to become magistrates. Not sure I’d want a couple of youngsters deciding my fate.

I expect they can do jury service but I doubt if there would be a jury of 12 youngsters, there would at least be a couple who had life experiences.

Names, I think I had a good sense of right and wrong at 18 (min jury service age) but I was much more interested in dancing and generally having a good time. if I had been called for jury duty at that age, I would have done it but I think my age would not have provided me with the life experiences necessary to do a thorough and fair job.

The only plus that I can see is that I may, I think, have given a different perspective if fellow jury members had all been aged over 35.

I think Lammy is a tad misguided if he believes magistrates of 18 can do a good job - again, because of the lack of life experiences.

Has he any idea of how long it takes to qualify as a magistrate. Methinks he lives on a different planet :-S

According to gov.uk, 18-year-olds can already be magistrates (aka Justices of the Peace), at least in England/Wales.

"You do not need formal qualifications or legal training to become a magistrate.
You will get full training for the role, and a legal adviser in court will help you with questions about the law."
https://www.gov.uk/become-magistrate/can-you-be-a-magistrate

It's unpaid, and the application and training process is so complicated that I'm sure not many 18-yr-olds bother applying.


No minimum age stated for Scottish JPs, as far as I can see, but presumably you have to be considered an adult, therefore 18 at least:
https://www.mygov.scot/apply-justice-peace

I wondered about their interviewing skills at age 18 so I asked Justice.Gov.uk what was required and it said

"Do magistrates need good interviewing skills?

Yes, magistrates need good interviewing skills. These skills are essential for making fair, impartial, and transparent decisions. Magistrates must be able to make reasoned opinions that are unbiased, impartial, and transparent by following a structured approach when deliberating. They also need to be able to assimilate large amounts of information and identify relevant issues. Additionally, magistrates must understand and appreciate different perspectives, communicate with sensitivity and respect, and show self-awareness and be open to learning. These attributes are crucial for the role of a magistrate, and the application process is designed to identify whether you have these attributes."

I doubt many 18 year olds would succeed without more life experience.

I agree with you Ann.

If I had ever wanted to be a magistrate it would have to have been in another area as both my husband’s and my brother’s occupations would have ruled me out in the area where we lived and the nearby area where my brother lived.

It’s a good job I never wanted to be!