ABSTRACT

It has been well argued by Professor Darbyshire that it is unwise to limit the consideration of procedural safeguards to proceedings in the Crown Court.1 A large number of cases are dealt with by way of summary proceedings before stipendiary2 and lay justices.3 Indeed, a great majority of criminal offences can only be dealt with by way of summary proceedings in the magistrates’ courts. Consequently, for many people the magistrates’ courts provide their only experience of the criminal justice system. In spite of the generally lower penalties imposed in the magistrates’ courts, many summary only offences can be punished by imprisonment.