ABSTRACT
This chapter brings our account of the interface of democracy, design and due process up to date by exploring the new visions of legal services being rehearsed by the state and their implications for ideas about the function of courts and the places in which justice is administered. Contemporary debates about courthouses are characterising the court estate as inflexible; consisting as it does of permanent fixtures, fittings and rooms that cannot be easily adapted to other purposes. The chapter makes clear that the reforms have partly been prompted by the coalition government’s policy of public spending cuts following the European debt crisis, and the need to reduce government budget deficits. At the time of going to press, the government had closed over half of the existing magistrates’ courts since 2010, with further closures being planned. The chapter also provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
