Magistrates in the Community is the MA’s community engagement initiative. Every year, teams of volunteer magistrates across England and Wales deliver a huge variety of presentations to incredibly diverse audiences.
We visit schools, colleges and community groups, aiming to demystify the legal system and educate the wider community about the work of their local court.
Presentations are tailored to each group and can range from informal talks to interactive quizzes, mock trials and sentencing exercises. We give presentations covering topics including:
• who magistrates are
• what kind of cases magistrates’ courts deal with
• how guilt or innocence is decided
• how a sentence is reached
• consequences of criminal activities
• topical issues such as cybercrime, bullying and knife crime.