Participation in Courts and Tribunals: Concepts, Realities and Aspirations

by Amy Kirby (Contribution by), Gillian Hunter (Contribution by), Jessica Jacobson (Editor), Penny Cooper (Editor)

Overview

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence

Effective participation in court and tribunal hearings is regarded as essential to justice, yet many barriers limit the capacity of defendants, parties and witnesses to participate.

Featuring policy analysis, courtroom observations and practitioners’ voices, this significant study reveals how participation is supported in the courts and tribunals of England and Wales. Including reflections on changes to the justice system as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it also details the socio-structural, environmental, procedural, cultural and personal factors which constrain participation.

This is an invaluable resource that makes a compelling case for a principled, explicit commitment to supporting participation across the justice system of England and Wales and beyond.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529211313
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	09/30/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	858 KB

About the Author

Jessica Jacobson is Director of the Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (ICPR) and Professor of Criminal Justice at Birkbeck, University of London.

Penny Cooper is Visiting Professor at the Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (ICPR) at Birkbeck, University of London.

Chapter authors:

Gillian Hunter is Senior Research Fellow the Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (ICPR) at Birkbeck, University of London.

Amy Kirby is Lecturer in Criminology the Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (ICPR) at Birkbeck, University of London.

Amy Kirby is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR), Birkbeck, University of London and is an ESRC-funded PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Surrey.
Gillian Hunter is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR), Birkbeck, University of London and has over 15 years’ experience of conducting research in the field of criminal justice.
Jessica Jacobson is Director of the Institute for Crime&Justice Policy Research (ICPR) and Professor of Criminal Justice at Birkbeck, University of London.
Penny Cooper is a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research at Birkbeck College and a Co-Investigator of the AHRC-funded Judging Values and Participation in Mental Capacity Law project.

Table of Contents

Introduction ~ Jessica Jacobson

Policy and Practice Supporting Lay Participation ~ Gillian Hunter

Conceptualising Participation: Practitioner Accounts ~ Amy Kirby

Observed Realities of Participation ~ Jessica Jacobson

Looking Ahead: Towards a Principled Approach to Supporting Participation ~ Penny Cooper

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This book provides an insightful analysis of what it means for people to participate in the justice system. It presents a novel way of looking at this important question that will be of great use to scholars, practitioners and policymakers alike." Joe Tomlinson, University of York

"An engaging, accessible and much-needed exploration of the multifaceted nature of participation in courts and tribunals." Abenaa Owusu-Bempah, London School of Economics

“Ensuring people can participate meaningfully in the justice system has become increasingly important over the past decade with court modernisation initiatives, cuts to legal aid, and an increase in litigants without legal representation. In addition, the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated moves towards remote justice. In this period of change, we warmly welcome this new study which, through its careful consideration of what effective participation in justice really means, has the potential to improve people’s access to and experiences of the justice system.” Rob Street, Nuffield Foundation