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EnglandLegal StudiesQuick questions
The Legal System (Component 1, Section A)
Quick questions on Criminal courts, magistrates and juries - OCR A-Level Law Component 1
4short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are lay magistrates?Show answer
Magistrates decide both fact and law, determining guilt and passing sentence (up to 6 months for a single offence, or 12 months for two either-way offences). They also deal with preliminary matters such as bail and sending indictable cases to the Crown Court.
What are juries?Show answer
A jury of 12 sits in the Crown Court. Jurors are selected at random from the electoral register under the Juries Act 1974. To qualify a person must be aged 18 to 75, registered to vote, and resident in the UK for at least five years since the age of 13, and must not be disqualified (for example by certain criminal convictions) or otherwise ineligible. The jury's role is to listen to the evidence, decide the facts, and return a verdict of guilty or not guilty; the judge decides the law and directs the jury.
What is q1?Show answer
Describe the classification of criminal offences and the court in which each is tried. [10 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Discuss the extent to which lay magistrates are an effective way of trying criminal cases. [20 marks]
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