Over-Efficiency in the Lower Criminal Courts

Using real world cases, this book reveals the tendency of magistrates’ courts to prioritise efficiency over substantive justice. Yates offers insights into the ways criminal courts can increase their speediness and cost-effectiveness, whilst upholding social justice and procedural due process.

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In our pursuit of efficiency in the lower criminal courts, have we lost sight of quality justice? Through the critical examination of original stenographic data, this book demonstrates how an English Magistrates' courthouse often pursued managerial efficiency to the detriment of social justice and procedural due process values.
Given that these courts process more than 95% of all criminal cases, this ‘over-efficiency’ problem has the capacity to cause significant social harm. Yates’ work concludes by providing socio-legal and criminological readers with ways to fix this over-efficiency problem. This accessible work is of value to policy makers and post-graduate students alike.