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.
Table of Content
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
About the author
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.