The Court Structure in the United Kingdom

Read the text and answer the following questions.

Text 5 B

1. What cases does Magistrates’ Court deal with?

2. What is the age of the person accused of a crime in Youth Court?

3. What cases does County court handle?

4. Are cases in County court heard by a judge or by a jury?

5. What cases does Crown Court try?

6. By whom are trials heard in Crown Court?

7. What court supervises other courts and tribunals?

8. What sections is Court of Appeal of England and Wales divided into? What cases does it handle?

9. What cases can tribunals hear?

10. What does Her Majesty Courts service carry out?

The way a court works depends on the kinds of cases it hears. Some courts have a judge and jury, while others have a panel of magistrates.

Magistrates’ Court deals with less serious criminal cases and civil matters. The role of the Magistrates’ Court includes determining whether a defendant is guilty or not, and passing the appropriate sentence; deciding on requests for remand in custody; deciding on applications for bail, and sending serious cases to the Crown Court. Magistrates Courts do not use a jury but instead three magistrates who decide and pass judgment with the help from a trained legal advisor, on whether someone accused of a crime is guilty.

Youth court deals with the cases in which the person accused of a crime is under 18. Youth courts are less formal than magistrates' courts.

If the case is a serious one, it will be heard in Crown Court regardless of the age of the defendant.

Most County Court casesdeal with claims for debt repayment, personal injury, family issues such as divorce or adoption, and housing disputes, including non-payment of mortgage or rent, and re-possession.

Cases in County Court are heard by a judge, but not a jury.

Crown Court deals with more serious criminal cases, such as murder, rape or robbery. It also handles cases on appeal and those referred to them by Magistrates' Courts. Trials are heard by a judge and a 12-person jury. Criminal trials usually take place in open court - which means that members of the press and public are allowed to hear and see what is happening. Once all the evidence has been presented, the jury decides if the person is guilty or innocent. The judge then decides the sentence, based on government-issued guidelines.

High Court headed by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, handles the most serious criminal and civil cases, and supervises other courts and tribunals. Most proceedings in the High Court are held before a single judge, but certain cases are assigned to a divisional court (which involves a bench of two or more judges).

Court of Appeal of England and Wales hears cases in which lower courts have made decisions, and may also disagree with the way in which the decision was made.

The court is divided into criminal and civil sections. The court hears appeals from the High Court. It also hears appeals of criminal cases that were decided in the Crown Court. In the appeals court three judges normally hear each case.

When cases involve children, they are often heard in Family Court. These courts handle cases such as applications for adoption, custody of children in divorce cases, child safety and other cases. Most family court proceedings are held in private, with the media not allowed in and the decisions usually not made public.

Tribunals can handle a varied range of cases, such as immigration, social security, child support, pensions, taxes and employment. Each tribunal is run slightly differently, but all are less formal than some other courts.

Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) carries out the administration and support for the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Crown Court, the magistrates' courts, the county courts and the Probation Service.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-26