Lay People Requirements

Lay people are local members of a community who are randomly selected to hear both criminal and civil court cases using the electoral voting register. They usually hear the majority of criminal cases. They have no knowledge or legal qualifications of the law, however there are some formal requirements needed to become a lay person. Lay magistrates and juries are required to;
• Be between the ages of 18 to 65,
• Have no criminal records
• Not be a member of the armed forces.
• be on the electoral roll (registered to vote)
• Have lived in the UK for at least five years since the age of 13. During cases in the magistrate’s court, a panel of 3 lay magistrates are assisted by a legally qualified clerk to help advise them on the points of law and sentencing powers. There are no juries in the magistrate’s court however for indictable trials in the crown court, it will be heard by 12 juries who will listen to evidence provided and decide whether a person is guilty or innocent.
There have been suggestions that the use of lay persons in
This means that employers have to give employees time off work to attend this service. During jury service, an employee is not paid by their employer however each juror is paid a subsistence allowance. Jurors can also claim for travel and food expenses and for loss of earnings from the court. This is an advantage because it encourages more people to participate in the justice system.
A disadvantage to this is that cases that are heard by juries are lengthier and more expensive. A jury trial is more expensive than that of a trial in the magistrate's court. In magistrate’s court, lay magistrates are not paid as it is voluntary to become lay magistrates, but juries are paid a subsistent amount of money as well as food and transport. Currently the cost of jury trials in crown courts is around £3 ,000 a day compared to just £900 in magistrates