The Crown Prosecution Service has an annual expenditure of £568 million, employs over 7,800 staff and in 2004-5 prosecuted about 1.25 million people for criminal offences. This study looks at its performance in making effective use of magistrates' court trials and hearings.. It estimates that ineffective trials and hearings cost the criminal justice system £173 million of which the CPS is responsible for £24 million. The report identifies examples of good practice and recommends changes to improve the efficiency of the prosecution of magistrates' court cases.

Following on from a NAO report (HCP 798, session 2005-06, ISBN 0102936978) published in February 2006, the Committee's report concludes that the handling of cases in magistrates' courts has in recent years become complex and protracted to the extent that it no longer amounts to summary justice. 55 per cent of the £173 million cost of delay in the magistrates' courts is attributable to the defence, but the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) account for another 14 per cent (£24 million) each. The CPS needs to review its organisational structure, revise its system for preparing for magistrates' court cases by adopting current best practice, and address the cultural resistance within the organisation to more modern working practices.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

This book examines access to justice in summary criminal proceedings by considering the ability of defendants to play an active and effective role in the process. 'Access to justice' refers not just to the availability of legally aided representation, but also to the ability of defendants to understand and effectively participate in summary criminal proceedings more generally. It remains a vital principle of justice that justice should not only be done, but should also be seen to be done by all participants in the process. The book is based on socio-legal research. The study is ethnographic, based on observation conducted in four magistrates' courts in South East England and interviews with both defence lawyers and Crown prosecutors. Setting out an argument that defendants have always been marginalised through particular features of magistrates' court proceedings (such as courtroom layout and patterns of behaviour among the professional workgroups in court), the political climate in relation to defendants and access to justice that has persisted since 2010 has further undermined the ability of defendants to play an active role in the process. Ultimately, this book argues that recent governments have demanded ever more efficiency and cost saving in criminal justice. In that context, principles that contribute to access to justice for defendants have been seriously undermined.

Contents: (1) Introduction: Time and Adolescence; Policy and Practice; (2) The History of Court Delay; (3) The Causes and Effects of Delayed Justice; (4) Controlling Court Delay: Legal/Professional Efforts; Managerial Efforts; (5) Controlling Juvenile Court Delay: Constitutional Provisions; Limiting Due Process for Juveniles; Legislation and Rules in the Juvenile Court; (6) Recent Trends in Delinquency Case Processing Time; (7) Delay Reduction Efforts in Three Juvenile Courts; (8) Conclusions; (9) References; Cases Cited; (10) Appendices. Charts and tables.