Could you be a magistrate?

[Netcurtainnelly]

There's a big volunteer recruitment drive for magistrates at the moment?
Does it interest you?

I did, yes.

I’d done a couple of years there as a volunteer some 4-5 years earlier; at that time it was run down and quite grim, but was so much improved those few years later. I still wouldn’t want to end up there, but it’s useful to see, as we can send people to custody.

FIL was one and he’s one of those awful self-appointed ‘pillar of the community’ types so on the basis that it attracts that sort of people, no I couldn’t face it!

Me neither.

I’d be very interested in doing this but based on what I’ve read, I couldn’t afford to plus because my Dad worked overseas his company paid for private education. So I’m not really that “type” but on paper I am. Never mind.

Is it not really upsetting, sitting as a family magistrate? I imagine lots of badly treated children being removed from parents and put into care

Whats the minimum age? 18? Can a year 13 do it?

I’d be interested for sure.

We had an awful neighbour growing up who was a magistrate, he was also the headteacher of a local school. He was an incredible snob who regularly complained about having to live next to a brown family. He was found to have stolen thousands of pounds of public funds and lied about his son being a heroin addict and a criminal (exposing himself to children) to give him a job. It was extremely satisfying when he was charged as people had been reporting him for years.

Interestingly not a single press report mentions his role as a magistrate, nice bit of supression in the press.

But that’s an important job that someone has to do.

We don't sit on many public law cases, in fact hardly ever and I've never known magistrates do a final hearing of this sort, so no, it's not an issue. Care proceedings get pushed up to a Judge.

We sometimes sit on Special Guardianship applications but they're usually uncontested so parents are agreeing with the guardian looking after their child/ren.

What's more heartbreaking is parents who cannot put their own stuff aside to focus on the needs of their child. They can be so wrapped up in 'winning' over what is best for the child.

kitt I wonder how UC would deal with it. Would a benefit recipient be penalised for earning less money on those days? I'm almost tempted to give it a go to give them a headache calculating it.

But isn't this even more of a reason to do it? If you think the wrong sorts of people are in these roles, surely that makes it even more important to try and get a wider range of people to take these roles on?

I’m a crime magistrate. There absolutely no prep time required, very little small print and I’ve never had to refer back to law.

I do it alongside a full time, intense job. It’s very doable, and your employer has to give you time off.

Who told you that?
And what colour and accent is ruled out?

I heard about this on Womans Hour last month. Logged in and no vacancies in the entire of Kent but a couple up near Manchester and Birmingham. They need to sort their website out.

I’ve never once felt in danger as a crime magistrate for what it’s worth.

Do you have a link to your old AMA that we can read through, @NewWinger ? I'm interested.

What’s the thinking behind this being a voluntary role, rather than a paid role? I suppose I’m
thinking that this immediately skews the volunteer population.

An acquaintance of mine is a magistrate. My understanding is the majority are either retired or have a wife to pick up the slack because of the time it consumes. I don’t think it’s massively suited to working parents with young families which will obviously rule out a lot of people they’re hoping to recruit.

Ah that rules me out then - private school.
Funny though as I imagine we are the largest group of available women in the age range not having to work, that could afford to give the time...

I think the poster said it was ticking one of the boxes that rules you in, rather than the opposite.

"No private school."
I think that means no private school, given the context of blue collar workers only etc?

Either way the website says all of Kent and South East are fine and don't need any so it is area specific where they have shortages.

Here you go, @YearoftheHorse60 - but just to say I was quite inexperienced then. I think most of the answers are still okay, but I perhaps answer a couple differently with more experience.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/AMA/4653590-new-magistrate-ama?page=1

https://magistrates.affinixats.co.uk/jobtools/jncustomsearch.searchResults?in_organid=20425&in_jobDate=All

There are only 3 places to apply - all in the North. It might be better to put that in the thread title to define the areas?