Crown Court

Crown Court

Paraskevi Rafailia Doumouzi

10th January’ 2020

Crown Court

Each court, being part of an interconnected system of the judiciary, aims at delivering justice within a minimum stipulated time. For resolving a criminal or civil case, the UK Law system set up a number of courts, which function under the jurisdictions permitted. The lowest in rank are the magistrate courts, whereas, cases pertaining to rape, murder, and different serious offenses are forwarded to the Crown Court.

Role and Function of the Crown Court

The cases referred to the Crown Court are related to indictment, followed by an appeal from those convicted by lower Court Judges. The roles and functions of the Crown Court are expandable in nature. For example, the Crown Court can hear a criminal trial which is on indictment. This court can exercise the jurisdiction of an appellate by the virtue of powers conferred during its establishment in 1971. Related to appealing hearings, the Crown Court has all the authority to revert any decision, or otherwise, withhold prior decisions. Depending on the nature of cases, the Crown Court is divided into three tiers. The first tier comprises of the High Court Judges, the second tier comprises of High Court judges for Crown Court criminal work, and the last tier comprises judges that work on criminal cases solely. One of the main functions of the Crown Court is related to hearing cases about the disqualifications or against anti-social behaviors.

Position in the English Court Hierarchy

In the English Courts hierarchy, the Crown Court stands on top. Cases from other Courts including the Magistrate Courts, Criminal Courts, Civil Courts, and other different Courts can be directed to the Crown Court. Its jurisdiction extends to include appeals from each lower Court. In the UK, the Crown Court sits at around a hundred locations. Different from other courts, the Crown Court works over four functions which include sentencing defendants previously overseen by magistrates, jury trials, the sentencing of prisoners, and listening to appeals from the lower courts, mainly from the Magistrate Courts. Apart from looking into cases of political nature, the Crown Court enjoys an overruling say in matters of other Courts. Such discretionary powers, however, are practiced only in certain situations and according to the precedents set by the previous judges of the Crown Courts.

Roles Performed in the Crown Court

Unlike other courts, the Crown Court is a single entity. Following the allocation to the Crown Court, the prime role performed by it is to uphold and interpret the law. This process is then followed by instructing the Barrister by the legal advisor, a copy of which is sent to the parties within twenty-eight days. After dispatching the notices, the witnesses are called within six months. This information is worthy at the time of plea and during the trial preparation. In addition to this, the additional evidence is forwarded and sent during the defense. In the Crown Court, any person can be called to listen to Conferences. After these initial processes, the trail and preparations start. The law expert withholds that this is the most important role performed in the Crown Court. These trial preparation hearings are always essential before appearing in front of a Crown Court Judge.

How the Research has Changed?

The research about the judicial procedure has considerably changed throughout time. The modern research follows a mix of qualitative and quantitative studies. This mix of qualitative and quantitative research has provided new insights for judicial reforms, for example, there are some studies about the Crown Court which highlight the flaws in relation to the number of appeals presented to the Crown Court, and the cases resolved. These contemporary researches are helping to elevate the judicial processes being followed in the Crown Court, at par with other Western Courts.

Bibliography:

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Jacobson, Jessica, and Gillian Hunter. Inside Crown Court: Personal Experiences and Questions of Legitimacy. Policy Press, 2016.

Newman, Warren J. “Some Observation on the Queen, the Crown, the Constitution, and the Courts.” Rev. Const. Stud. 22 (2017): 55.

Shore, Cris, and David V. Williams. The Shapeshifting Crown: Locating the State in Postcolonial New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the UK. Cambridge University Press, 2019.