Inside Crown Court : Personal Experiences and Questions of Legitimacy

With a new Foreword by David Ormerod of the Law Commission. Within the criminal justice system of England and Wales, the Crown Court is the arena in which serious criminal offences are prosecuted and sentenced. On the basis of up-to-date ethnographic research, this timely book provides a vivid description of what it is like to attend court as a victim, a witness or a defendant; the interplay between the different players in the courtroom; and the extent to which the court process is viewed as legitimate by those involved in it. This valuable addition to the field brings to life the range of issues involved and is aimed at students and scholars of criminal justice, policy-makers and practitioners, and interested members of the general public.|With a new Foreword by David Ormerod of the Law Commission. Within the criminal justice system of England and Wales, the Crown Court is the arena in which serious criminal offences are prosecuted and sentenced. On the basis of up-to-date ethnographic research, this timely book provides a vivid description of what it is like to attend court as a victim, a witness or a defendant; the interplay between the different players in the courtroom; and the extent to which the court process is viewed as legitimate by those involved in it. This valuable addition to the field brings to life the range of issues involved and is aimed at students and scholars of criminal justice, policy-makers and practitioners, and interested members of the general public. INSIDE CROWN COURT; Epigraph; Contents; List of figures and tables; Figures; Tables; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; The study; Background; Methods; Structure of the book; 2. The system: what is the Crown Court and what are its functions?; Courts structure; The business and people of the Crown Court ; Access to justice; 3. Court process and performance: constructing versions of 'the truth'; Crown Court trials and the elusive truth; Guilty pleas and the elusive truth; The sentencing of defendants who have pleaded guilty; Ritualised, theatrical management of conflict The incongruities of the court process Concluding remarks; 4. Them and us: the divide between court users and professionals; The role of victims and witnesses at court; The role of defendants in court; The professional-lay person divide ; The ambiguous status of the jury; Concluding remarks; 5. Structured mayhem: the organised yet chaotic nature of court proceedings; Getting to court ; Start-stop ; Concluding remarks and structured mayhem in action; 6. Reluctant conformity: court users' compliance with the court process; The anxieties, uncertainty and inconveniences of appearing at court Following the rulesConcluding remarks; 7. Legitimacy: court users' perceived obligation to obey, and what this is based on; Moral alignment; Positive outcomes; Fair decision-making; Respectful treatment; Passive acceptance; Concluding remarks; 8. Conclusion; The nature of Crown Court proceedings; Compliance and legitimacy; Implications for policy and practice?; Appendix. Details on court user respondents and outline of observed cases; References; Index INSIDE CROWN COURT Epigraph Contents List of figures and tables Figures Tables Acknowledgements 1. Introduction The study Background Methods Structure of the book 2. The system: what is the Crown Court and what are its functions? Courts structure The business and people of the Crown Court Access to justice 3. Court process and performance: constructing versions of ‘the truth’ Crown Court trials and the elusive truth Guilty pleas and the elusive truth The sentencing of defendants who have pleaded guilty Ritualised, theatrical management of conflict The incongruities of the court process Concluding remarks 4. Them and us: the divide between court users and professionals The role of victims and witnesses at court The role of defendants in court The professional-lay person divide The ambiguous status of the jury Concluding remarks 5. Structured mayhem: the organised yet chaotic nature of court proceedings Getting to court Start-stop Concluding remarks and structured mayhem in action 6. Reluctant conformity: court users’ compliance with the court process The anxieties, uncertainty and inconveniences of appearing at court Following the rules Concluding remarks 7. Legitimacy: court users’ perceived obligation to obey, and what this is based on Moral alignment Positive outcomes Fair decision-making Respectful treatment Passive acceptance Concluding remarks 8. Conclusion The nature of Crown Court proceedings Compliance and legitimacy Implications for policy and practice? Appendix. Details on court user respondents and outline of observed cases References Index Within the criminal justice systems of England and Wales, the Crown Court is the arena in which serious criminal offenses are prosecuted and sentenced. Based on ethnographic research, including interviews and field observations, this book provides a vivid description of what it is like to attend court as a victim, a witness, or a defendant; the interplay between the different players in the courtroom; and the extent to which the court process is viewed as legitimate by those involved Within the criminal justice systems of England and Wales, the Crown Court is the arena in which serious criminal offences are prosecuted and sentenced. Based on ethnographic research, including interviews and field observations, this book provides a vivid description of what it is like to attend court as a victim, a witness, or a defendant; the interplay between the different players in the courtroom; and the extent to which the court process is viewed as legitimate by those involved