Ep37: Lay magistrates - great equalisers or arcane institution?

England and Wales is one of a tiny number of jurisdictions worldwide in which lay people sit in judgement of their peers. Some argue that magistrates play a vital role bridging the courtroom and the community. But does this work in practice? In this episode our hosts are joined by Robin Fenwick, former magistrate, and Dr Kate Leader, senior lecturer at Queen Mary University. They discuss why we have magistrates, what powers they possess, and what it's like to be a magistrate behind the scenes. Robin Fenwick @RobinComms Read more about Robin here: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64512612 Dr Kate Leader @leader_kate Find out more about Kate's work here: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/people/academic-staff/items/leader.html Transform Justice Website: ⁠⁠www.transformjustice.org.uk⁠⁠ Twitter: @TransformJust1 Email: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.