More than 1,000 new Magistrates were recruited in 2018, according to a recent Ministry of Justice press release.
That brings the total number of Magistrates in England and Wales to just over 16,000, which is a fall of around 7,000 since the financial year 2012/13.
With a decrease in traditional workload and increase in out of court disposals the number of Magistrates' Courts has also halved from 323 to 157 in the last decade, with the closure of Northallerton set to follow very shortly.
Despite the recent reduction in the court estate and workload, there is a greater need than ever to recruit new Magistrates. To put not too fine a point on it, far more of the Magistracy are resigning or retiring than are being appointed. Any increase in Magistrate numbers is therefore welcome news.
Speaking of the increase the Justice Minister, Lucy Frazer, said: "Magistrates play a vital role in our justice system, and that's why we are working hard to increase numbers and ensure all walks of life are represented.
"If you care about your community and want to give back then I would encourage you to apply to become a magistrate. There are few other opportunities that have such a profound impact on people's lives.
Luke Rigg JP, recently-elected chair of the Magistrates' Association's Young Magistrates Group, said: "Being a magistrate has helped me develop so many skills that I use in my professional and personal life - from communication to persuasion, decision-making and team building to name a few.
"We make some of the most life-changing decisions possible - in some cases deciding whether to send someone to prison. It is a privilege to be given the responsibility and opportunity to have my voice heard in the retiring room when I'm deliberating with my colleagues."
On my own bench there is a close-knit circle of around 30 colleagues, retired or semi-retired from their everyday employment, who you always see at court. They are dependable, eager and available, which is why the Rota Unit often contacts them at very short notice to fill vacant sittings. With the benefit of time on their hands those 30 colleagues, who make up about 10 percent of the bench, must be doing almost half the bench's work.
Sadly, despite their unwavering dedication and years of invaluable experience, virtually all of them will reach the arbitrary upper age for retirement (70 years) in the next couple of years. They have sharp minds and could offer many more year's effective service, but are prevented from doing so.
It is a similar picture nationally, with 96 percent of Magistrates aged over 40 and 55 percent aged over 60.
Given the current age distribution there is a drive towards recruiting younger Magistrates' and those in employment, but with professional and family commitments they are often unable to sit much more than the minimum expectation 13 days per year. As a consequence, those that remain of the 40 or so new Magistrates appointed to our bench over the last 5 years will struggle to make up the sittings of retiring colleagues.
It is to be hoped that the national increase in Magistrate numbers can be maintained over the next few years, otherwise the local picture for some benches could still be very bleak.
Please see our Becoming a Magistrate page if you're interested in the role.
You can view a list of areas currently recruiting here.
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