Crown Court and County Court in Oxford.

For the TV programme see Crown Court (TV series).' A bar council in a Commonwealth country is a professional body that regulates the profession of barristers together with the Inns of Court. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Law Society of England and Wales is the professional association that represents the solicitors profession in England and Wales. ... A solicitor is a type of lawyer in many common law jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Republic of Ireland, Australia New Zealand and Canada, but not the United States (in the United States the word has a quite different meaning—see below). ... A Solicitor Advocate is a solicitor who is qualified to represent clients as an advocate in the higher courts in England and Wales or Scotland. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1760x1168, 380 KB) Summary Crown Court and County Court in Oxford. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1760x1168, 380 KB) Summary Crown Court and County Court in Oxford. ... The County Court is the workhorse of the civil justice system in England and Wales. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... Crown Court was an ITV afternoon television drama that ran from 1972 to 1985. ...

Her Majesty's Crown Court is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Supreme Court of Judicature in England and Wales. It is the higher court of first instance in criminal cases, and is equal in stature to the High Court, which hears civil cases as well as criminal appeals from the Magistrates' Courts. It sits in around 90 locations in England and Wales. Previously divided into six circuits - Midland, Northern, North Eastern, South Eastern, Wales, Chester and Western - it is now divided into Eight regions - Midlands, North West, North East, South East, London, South West, Wales & Cheshire Circuits. The Welsh circuit was added to enforce the new law creating powers formed by use of the Welsh Assembly Government [1]. The Central Criminal Court, originally established by its own act of parliament at the Old Bailey is now part of the Crown Court, and is the main criminal court in the capital. Her Majestys High Court of Justice (known more simply as the High Court) is, together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in England and Wales: see Courts of England and Wales. ... Her Majestys Court of Appeal is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords above it. ... This article concerns the Courts of England and Wales. ... The Court of First Instance, created in 1989, is a court of the European Union. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of statutory and common law that deals with crime and the legal punishment of criminal offenses. ... In the common law, civil law refers to the area of law governing relations between private individuals. ... Bedford Magistrates Court A Magistrates Court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions. ... The Northern Circuit is 826 years old. ... Circuit judges are senior judges in England and Wales who sit in the Crown Courts, County Courts and certain specialised sub-divisions of the High Court of Justice, such as the Technology and Construction Court. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: (Welsh for Land of My Fathers) Capital Cardiff (Caerdydd) Largest city Cardiff (Caerdydd) Official language(s) Welsh, English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056... For the larger local government district, see City of Chester. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... The Old Bailey An Old Bailey trial circa 1808. ...

The Crown Court carries out three main types of activity: appeals from decisions of magistrates, sentencing of defendants committed from magistrates’ courts, and trials. On average defendants in custody face an average waiting time of 13 weeks and 3 days. Those on bail experience greater delay having to wait 15 weeks and 4 days.

Appeals from magistrates' courts

In 2003-4 the Crown Court heard 11,707 appeals against conviction and/or sentence from those convicted in the magistrates' courts. At the conclusion of the hearing the Crown Court has the power to confirm, reverse or vary any part of the decision under appeal . If the appeal is decided against the accused, the Crown Court has the power to impose any sentence which the magistrates could have imposed, including one which is harsher than the one originally imposed. There was a waiting time of just over 8 weeks for appeals; 90% of appellants waited 14 weeks or less.

Defendants committed from magistrates for sentencing

In 2003-4 the Crown Court dealt with 31,018 cases for sentencing from the magistrates. Magistrates have the power to commit to the Crown Court for sentencing when they are of the opinion that either the offence or the combination of the offence and one or more offences associated with it was so serious that greater punishment should be inflicted than the court has power to impose or, in the case of a violent or sexual offence, that a custodial sentence longer than the court has power to impose is necessary to protect the public from serious harm. Committals may also arise from breaches of the terms of a Community Rehabilitation Order or a suspended sentence of imprisonment. There was an implied waiting time for sentencing of just over 7 weeks with 88% of defendants committed for sentence waiting no more than 10 weeks.

Trials

The Crown Court disposed of 83,247 committals for trial in 2003-4. Taking into account 29,752 cases still outstanding, the implied waiting time for trials was 18.5 weeks. This is the time between committal or lodging an appeal and the start of the Crown Court hearing. This level of delay has been gradually worsening over the last 6 years. The average time to try a case on a plea of not guilty is about 7 hours . Since the average length of a sitting day is 4.33 hours , this implies that a not guilty case takes just over the equivalent of one and a half court days.

Appeals from Crown Courts

Appeal from the Crown Court lies to the criminal division of the Court of Appeal and thence to the House of Lords. See also Courts of England and Wales. The House of Lords, in addition to having a legislative function, has a judicial function as a court of last resort within the United Kingdom. ... Schematic of court system for England and Wales The United Kingdom does not have a single unified judicial system—England and Wales have one system, Scotland another, and Northern Ireland a third. ...

Judges

The Judges who normally sit in the Crown Court are High Court Judges, Circuit Judges and Recorders. Circuit Judges are the same Judges as sit in the County Court. Recorders are Barristers or Solicitors in private practice, who sit part time as Judges. The most serious cases (treason, murder, rape etc.) are allocated to High Court Judges and Senior Circuit Judges. The remainder are dealt with by Circuit Judges and Recorders, although Recorders will normally handle less serious work than Circuit Judges. The allocation is conducted according to directions given by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. Her Majestys High Court of Justice (usually known more simply as the High Court) is, together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of England and Wales: see Courts of England and Wales. ... Cicuit Judges are senior judges in England Wales who sit in the Crown Courts, County Courts and certain specialised sub-divisions of the High Court, such as the Technology and Construction Court. ... A Recorder is a barrister or solicitor of 10 years standing who serves as a part-time Crown court judge. ... The County Court is the workhorse of the civil justice system in England and Wales. ... British barristers wearing traditional dress. ... In the United Kingdom and countries having a similar legal system the legal profession is divided into two kinds of lawyers: the solicitors who contact and advise clients, and barristers who argue cases in court. ... The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales was, historically, the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor. ...

History of the Crown Court

The Crown Court was established in 1972 by the Courts Act to replace the courts of Assize and Quarter Sessions. The Crown Court is a permanent unitary court across England and Wales, whereas the Assizes were periodic local courts heard before judges of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court, who travelled across the seven circuits into which England and Wales were divided, assembling juries in the Assize Towns and hearing cases. The Quarter Sessions were local courts assembled four times a year to dispose of criminal cases which were not serious enough to go before a High Court judge. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Courts Act 1971 is a UK Act of Parliament reforming and modernising the courts system. ... The Courts of Assize, or Assizes, were periodic criminal courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Quarter Sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. ... The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were periodic courts held in each county and county borough in England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Assize courts they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court of England and Wales. ...

A Crown Court and a County Court may be located in the same building and use the same jurors. Since the establishment of Her Majesty's Courts Service in April 2005 there is an increased sharing of facilities between the Crown Court, county courts and magistrates court The County Court is the workhorse of the civil justice system in England and Wales. ... Her Majestys Courts Service is an amalgamation of the Magistrates Courts Service and the Court Service. ...

Physical layout

At the front of the court, on a raised platform, is a large bench. This is where the judge sits. His or her rank can be distinguished by the colour of gown he (for convenience of expression to include "she" - the majority of Crown Court judges are male) wears, and different forms of address are appropriate for different ranks of judge, with "your honour" being the most common. The judge enters from a door at the side of the platform, preceded by a cry of "all rise" from the usher or clerk of the court who sits below and in front of the judge's bench. Everyone in the court is expected to show their respect for the judge by standing as he enters and until he sits down. Often these days he will have a computer (probably a laptop) although he will be writing down his record of the evidence longhand in a notebook in front of him. Witnesses and barristers may have to pause frequently to enable him to do this, and may have to repeat their remarks two or three times until he has got them.

The clerk of the court, who sits facing the court (that is, the same way as the judge) has a smaller desk on which sits a telephone, which gets muttered into from time to time when communication is necessary with other parts of the court complex (for example the jury assembly area). From time to time the clerk will address the jury or the foreman of the jury. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Also in the area just in front of the judge's bench is the sound recordist. Proceedings will be recorded on a double deck cassette recorder with one tape or the other being changed at intervals. This record may be used if the case later goes to appeal.

Additionally there may be a typist who also records proceedings on a special machine by typing keys as the witnesses speak.

Facing the clerk will be the usher. If papers or other objects need to be passed around the court, for example notes from members of the jury, or evidence being shown to the jury, normally the usher will do this and will be the only person in the court to walk around while the court is in session. Escort may refer to: A sex worker engaged in acts of prostitution. ...

Behind the usher, wearing black gowns and large white wigs and facing the judge, will be the prosecuting and defending barristers. The defending barrister will always be nearest the jury. These days they will also be likely to have laptop computers in addition to files of papers relating to the case which will be on the desk in front of them. Unlike the judge who speaks sitting down, the barristers always stand to address the court, although quite often they will lean on items of furniture (such as a desktop podium in front of them) while they are speaking, especially if they are elderly. English barrister A barrister is a lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions who employ a split profession (as opposed to a fused profession) in relation to legal representation. ...

Behind the barristers will sit the instructing solicitors, which in the case of the prosecution will be a representative of the Crown Prosecution Service. They will also have files relating to the case, and probably laptop computers, and once in a while there may be a whispered exchange between the solicitor and the relevant barrister. The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. ...

At the back of the courtroom, behind the barristers, is a semi-partitioned area known as the dock. This is where the defendant or defendants sit (now and then being asked to stand). A custody officer will be sitting in the dock near them.

Alongside the defending barrister is the jury box. This is where the jury watch the case from. They will be called to it from the jury waiting area (benches next to it) to be sworn. Once sworn they always sit in the same seat throughout the trial. If proceedings (such as legal argument about the admissibility of evidence) take place which they are not supposed to see occur, the usher will escort them into a room just outside the courtroom (probably behind the dock). Only jurors and ushers ever enter this room.

Opposite the jury box is the witness box. Witnesses stand facing the jury (they can sit down if they wish but are likely to be warned not to drop their voices) and give their evidence so the jury can watch their demeanor while giving it, which might help them decide if the witness is being truthful. A witness box is part of a court room. ...

When the judge sends the jury to consider their verdict, the usher escorts them to a small suite consisting of a large table, 12 chairs, WCs, paper and pencils, a button to call the usher with and prominent notices about not revealing deliberations to anyone else. The usher withdraws, and when the jury have arrived at a verdict, they push the button. In law, a verdict indicates the judgment of a case before a court of law. ...

During deliberations only limited contact is permitted with the outside world, always via the usher. The jury will be permitted only (a) to call for refreshments, (b) to pass a note to the judge, perhaps asking for further guidance, or (c) to announce that they have reached a verdict. The judge may decide to recall them to the court to address them again at any time.

Circuits

Originally, the court was divided into six circuits as follows: [2]

The Midland and Oxford circuit has since been modified by the removal of Oxford and Huntingdon. Northumberland is a county in northern England. ... County Durham is a county in north-east England. ... Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cumberland is one of the 39 traditional counties of England. ... Westmorland (formerly also spelt Westmoreland, an even older spelling is Westmerland) is an area of north west England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. ... The Cheshire Plain - photo taken adjacent to Beeston Castle The Cheshire Plain - photo taken towards Merseyside The Cheshire Plain panorama - photo taken from Mid-Cheshire Ridge Cattle farming in the county Black-and-white timbered buildings on Nantwich High Street Cheshire (or, archaically, the County of Chester)[1] is a... 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Sussex is a traditional county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: (Welsh for Land of My Fathers) Capital Cardiff (Caerdydd) Largest city Cardiff (Caerdydd) Official language(s) Welsh, English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056... The Cheshire Plain - photo taken adjacent to Beeston Castle The Cheshire Plain - photo taken towards Merseyside The Cheshire Plain panorama - photo taken from Mid-Cheshire Ridge Cattle farming in the county Black-and-white timbered buildings on Nantwich High Street Cheshire (or, archaically, the County of Chester)[1] is a... Gloucestershire (pronounced ; GLOSS-ter-sher) is a county in South West England. ... Berks redirects here. ... 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See also

• List of Courts in England and Wales