The Magistrates Association – A Century On
| Published date | 01 October 2021 |
| Author | JON COLLINS |
| Date | 01 October 2021 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12440 |
The Howard Journal Vol60 No S1. October 2021 DOI: 10.1111/hojo.12440
ISSN 2059-1098, pp. 119–128
The Magistrates Association – A
Century On
JON COLLINS
Chief Executive, The Magistrates Association
Abstract: One hundred years on from the founding of the Magistrates Association (MA)
this article explores the role that the MA has played, and continues to play, in informing
and influencing the future development of the magistracy, the courts and the broader
criminal justice system. It looks at reforms to the magistracy over the last century and
then explores the need for further reform, looking at magistrate numbers, diversity and
training, magistrates’ courts and the court reform programme, the powers available to
magistrates, and the need for political will to enable the modernisation of the magistracy
within the context of reform to the courts.
Keywords: courts; magistracy; magistrate; Magistrates Association (MA); sen-
tencing
One hundred years on from the founding of the Magistrates Association
(MA), revisiting the short article in the October 1921 volume of the Howard
Journal announcing its creation (Anon 1921) highlights the consistent role
that the MA has played, and continues to play,in informing and influencing
the future development of the criminal justice system. While much has
clearly changed in the intervening years, it is striking the extent to which
the challenges facing the MA and the justice system now reflect those of a
century ago.
The Role of the Magistrates Association
The MA is an independent charity and the membership body for the mag-
istracy in England and Wales. It works to promote the sound administra-
tion of the law, including by providing guidance, training and support for
magistrates, informing the public about the courts and the role of mag-
istrates, producing and publishing research on key topics relevant to the
magistracy, and contributing to the development and delivery of reforms
to the courts and the broader justice system. With 13,000 members across
England and Wales, the MA is a unique source of insight into the work of
magistrates’ courts and is the only independent voice of the magistracy.
119
C
2021 The Authors. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice published by Howard League
and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which per-
mits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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