Archbold Magistrates’ Courts Criminal Practice is a comprehensive, authoritative and practically focused work for practitioners working in magistrates’ courts and youth courts and also key government institutions and local authorities working within the wider criminal justice sector. The comprehensive nature of the work provides detailed coverage of the criminal jurisdiction of magistrates’ courts and youth courts, together with coverage of the growing number of civil orders which complement the criminal jurisdiction.
Content is designed to be quickly accessible allowing the user to identify key issues quickly and to find fast answers to difficult questions. It is an essential work for all those involved in making the system effective: practitioners prosecuting or defending, magistrates, and those responsible for advising them in the administration of the courts. It is portable and usable as a stand-alone reference in magistrates’ and youth court proceedings.
The new edition includes the following:
- Domestic Abuse Act 2021
- Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021
- Latest amendments to the Criminal Procedure Rules 2020
- Revised chapter dealing with offences against the person
- Incorporation of statutory amendments resulting from the exit of the UK from the European Union
- Consideration of all new important cases.
Key features of the book are:
- Extensive coverage of the criminal and quasi-criminal jurisdiction of magistrates' and youth courts
- Encompasses preliminary matters, including criminal investigations, commencement of proceedings, bail, allocation and sending
- Detailed coverage of summary trial procedure and practice, including pre-trial issues and preparation, the course of the trial, witnesses and the rules of evidence.
- Detailed coverage of the sentencing powers of magistrates’ and youth courts
- Practical guidance on substantive law, showing elements of offences, available defences and relevant sentencing considerations
- Coverage of youth courts, with detailed guidance on jurisdiction, bail and sentencing
- Practical guidance on powers and procedures in respect of mentally disordered defendants and offenders
- Detailed coverage of the powers of magistrates’ and youth courts to make awards as to costs
- Comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the enforcement of confiscation orders and the civil detention, freezing and forfeiture powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
- Comprehensive and authoritative coverage of preventive orders made on complaint or conviction such as domestic violence prevention orders, knife crime prevention orders, closure of premises orders
- Full citation of statutory provisions and case law which can be cited in court
- Ensures portability with a one-volume format, ideal for court use
