You Be The Judge
Last updated April 1, 2009
Event de-mystifies the courts service
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Pictured, from left, are Robin Stannard, Nicola Haywood, Terry Callahan, Roger Williams, Wayne Derbyshire and Juan Batchelor
CRIMINAL justice agency staff held court during a special event which looked behind the scenes of crime and justice in Swindon.
The ‘You Be The Judge’ event took place on March 23 for Swindon Borough Councillors in an attempt to demystify the courts service.
The session was organised by the Swindon Community Safety Partnership and staff who work for the Community Engagement Project run locally by Her Majesty’s Courts Service (HMCS).
It was supported by the Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board.
The event was organised for Swindon Borough Councillors, where a significant Criminal Justice System (CJS) knowledge gap was identified last year. Police officers and Special Constables also attended.
Those attending got to speak to some of the key professionals who work together to ensure justice is done.
The audience heard two court case scenarios and what key decisions were made to decide the sentence.
Attendees were given the opportunity to decide the sentence themselves after hearing outlines from HMCS and were also canvassed about their views on sentencing.
The event was an opportunity to see how the CJS works together and where and why key decisions are made.
The panel of professionals comprised Robin Stannard, from Wiltshire Police; Nicola Haywood, from the Crown Prosecution Service, HMCS legal adviser Juan Batchelor; Wayne Derbyshire, from Wiltshire Probation Area; and magistrates Terry Callahan and Roger Williams.
'You Be The Judge' events are highly effective opportunities to engage with target audiences and tackle misconceptions head on.
Evaluation forms completed afterwards revealed a significant number of attendees were encouraged to participate in the CJS as a result of the event. There was a slight increase in confidence in the CJS, but a definite increase in knowledge.
Richard Palusinski, head of the Swindon Community Safety Partnership, said: “The event was a great success. Eleven councillors attended the event, along with a number of members of staff from partner agencies of the Community Safety Partnership.
“The panel of experts provided a thorough insight into how and why a court works. This was particularly helpful as some in the audience had a suspicion that the Criminal Justice System was free to make its own rules as it went along.
“The presentation of the two case studies led into some very healthy debate about the fairness of the law and systems.
“The event achieved its aim of allowing people to gain a greater understanding of the Criminal Justice System and, in particular, the role of the Magistrates’ Court within it.
“I, for one, would like to see this level of public information and engagement repeated as I believe that de-mystifying the Criminal Justice System will make a major contribution to raising public confidence in the service that it delivers.”