An opinion piece by John Bache JP FRCS, chairman of the Magistrates Association, published in today's Metro:
Every day, hundreds of people volunteer as magistrates, playing a vital role in the justice system and serving their local communities.
As volunteer members of the judiciary, they deal with both family and criminal cases and make important decisions for all those people who come before the courts. They make an invaluable contribution on a daily basis and it is no exaggeration to say that the justice system could not continue to function without them.
But over the next few years we will need thousands of new magistrates to replace those who are due to retire, and to ensure that the magistracy reflects the country that it serves, these recruits must come from every community.
We therefore want to encourage everyone, whatever their background, to consider whether they would be interested in becoming a magistrate.
In particular, we want to see people applying to join the magistracy from communities that are currently underrepresented.
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