Articles and Speeches

Magistrates Court on Trial
11-Nov-05, Windsor Express Article.

"I feel I have to confess that I was in court last Saturday!

Fortunately it was in response to an invitation for a visit to and tour of Reading Magistrates’ Court.

It was a great chance to discuss the current issues about the handling of cases from Windsor and surrounding areas with both staff and magistrates.

So I must thank the Chairman of the Court and the staff for their kind welcome and informative insight into the day-to-day workings of the justice system.

The mock trial was a real eye opener which became more striking when we were asked what sentence we would consider handing out to the offender!

It was clear to me that those administering the legal system have a difficult job in exercising local justice. They are to be commended for their expertise, patience and impartiality when dealing with the reality of the serious problems we face with violence, street crime and theft which are a worry to most law-abiding people.

Sentencing is often a difficult and controversial area. On balance I believe that the courts do a good job of selecting the appropriate penalty from the long list available in most cases.

It also became clear during the visit that drug and alcohol addiction are what fuel the majority of the crimes we experience in society.

There is no easy solution but I tend to agree with medical practitioners who recognise that prevention is better than cure. It is time to firm up our attitude and approach to drug and alcohol education for our young in particular and recognise the causal link to crime."