Lay people

• What are lay people?

  'Legally unqualified' persons in the criminal justice system who play an important role in the decision-making process
• What are the two main types of lay people?

  Magistrates

  Juries
• What are magistrates?

  Part-time, unsalaried 'judges' who decide guilt and sentence offenders in the Magistrates' Court
• What are juries?

  Drawn from the electorate, they decide the guilt of offenders in the Crown Court