Judiciary

• Judiciary - Strengths (Six principles)

  • Judicial independence - Independent and free from government interference decisions. Upholds Rule of law. Safeguard rights of citizens
  • Ensuring equal treatment to everyone who comes before the courts
• Judiciary - Strengths

  Aims and objectives:

  • Manage the trial ensuring fairness to all parties
  • Explain the legal issues and procedures to all members of the Jury
  • Sum up the evidence
  • Pass sentence if defendant is found guilty
• Judiciary - Weaknesses

  • Number of appeals alleging an unduly lenient sentence
  • 2021, ULS scheme had 678 applications, only 151 were referred to the court of appeal
  • Court agreed that 106 of these sentences were too low and increased the sentences as a result
• Judiciary - Weaknesses

  • Judges appear to have inappropriate comments leading to sentence though to be unsuitable given to the circumstances hence considered ineffective
  • EG where a judge found a women had not been raped as she took no 'physical steps' to stop the man
• Judiciary - Weakness

  • 71% male judges
  • 50% over 50
  • 5% from ethnic minorities
  • 2021, 109 offenders had sentences increased under ULS scheme