NCJ Number
173829
Date Published
1995
Length
229 pages
Annotation
This book examines the working of 64 courts in five of the six Circuits of the Crown Court, the superior court for jury trial of criminal offenses in England and Wales.
Abstract
The book is based on statistics covering plea, plea change, waiting time, judicial acquittals before and during trial, jury verdicts and dissent, and judicial sentencing for each court over the 5 years of the Crown Prosecution Service. The book considers the politics of the jury; pays particular attention to the administrative relations between judge and jury; and analyzes the judiciary and links between their verdicts and sentencing patterns. It also discusses consistent variations between courts in different regions and localities. The book includes models of Crown Court process and discusses five allied features: (1) plea, speed and outcome; (2) custodial differential on plea; (3) plea and pretrial discharge; (4) plea and "cracked" trials; and (5) judge-jury acquittal differential. The book includes an entire chapter concerning the theory of Crown Court practice. Tables, bibliography, index