ABSTRACT
Lay magistrates sitting in the youth court are a central element in the administration of the youth justice system. They work within a system which has historically been characterised by tensions in policy, politics and practice. Today, magistrates appointed to the Youth Panel and sitting in the youth court are facing significant changes to their practice as a result of the implementation of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the provisions of Part 1 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. It is likely that changes in practice required by these legislative initiatives (which are to be introduced in stages until 2002), will redraw the current set of tensions experienced by youth justice magistrates. These tensions are themselves a product of the history of the youth justice system and of some more recent legislation, including the Criminal Justice Act 1991 and the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
