How Should Judges Be Appointed?
How should judges be appointed?
Judges in the UK are often upper class, white men who have become judges through a good higher education and then a further training in judiciary. Currently, there are no black high court judges however the black population in prison is for ever growing. For the purpose of this essay, I shall be arguing that judges should be appointed based mostly on life experience and relativity. Of course a standard law degree and a solid understanding of the law is necessary but that goes without saying. However the extra qualities needed are arguable.
Firstly, a judge must be empathetic. When in a hearing, it is the judges’ role to make the final decision on the sentence of the criminal. When making this decision, a judge must be aware of the huge impact the duration of a sentencing can have on an individual as this is a life changing experience for not only the criminal but their family too. For this to happen, it can be argued that the judge needs to be able to relate to the person and truly understand the implications. Not all criminals after all truly bad and they vary in the extremity. Judges can not therefore simply be Oxbridge graduates who are well respected in a small circle, as many of these people live a completely different lifestyle and may find it hard to relate to a working class criminal. That being said it would be unreasonable to assume that different classes in society cannot relate to each other nor that criminals are always of working class. However the matter of the fact is, the majority are and it is in most cases rather difficult to relate.
Secondly, a judge must be open minded. They must not hold prejudice and must be aware of the societal issues in their nation, regardless of whether they affect them or not. For example, in 2008 the credit crunch hit the Uk causing low consumer confidence and a general depression across the country and indeed a lack of hope for the future. Although the economic issue was and still
Judges in the UK are often upper class, white men who have become judges through a good higher education and then a further training in judiciary. Currently, there are no black high court judges however the black population in prison is for ever growing. For the purpose of this essay, I shall be arguing that judges should be appointed based mostly on life experience and relativity. Of course a standard law degree and a solid understanding of the law is necessary but that goes without saying. However the extra qualities needed are arguable.
Firstly, a judge must be empathetic. When in a hearing, it is the judges’ role to make the final decision on the sentence of the criminal. When making this decision, a judge must be aware of the huge impact the duration of a sentencing can have on an individual as this is a life changing experience for not only the criminal but their family too. For this to happen, it can be argued that the judge needs to be able to relate to the person and truly understand the implications. Not all criminals after all truly bad and they vary in the extremity. Judges can not therefore simply be Oxbridge graduates who are well respected in a small circle, as many of these people live a completely different lifestyle and may find it hard to relate to a working class criminal. That being said it would be unreasonable to assume that different classes in society cannot relate to each other nor that criminals are always of working class. However the matter of the fact is, the majority are and it is in most cases rather difficult to relate.
Secondly, a judge must be open minded. They must not hold prejudice and must be aware of the societal issues in their nation, regardless of whether they affect them or not. For example, in 2008 the credit crunch hit the Uk causing low consumer confidence and a general depression across the country and indeed a lack of hope for the future. Although the economic issue was and still