Bench impresses

District judges are more efficient than their lay colleagues, but this should not lead to a reduction in the lay magistracy, government research has concluded.The research, released last month, found that district judges (stipendiaries as was) deal with 30% more hearings in court than lay magistrates if allocated an identical case mix, with fewer adjournments and a greater likelihood of refusing bail or making use of immediate custody as a sentence.There are approximately 30,400 lay magistrates and 96 full-time district judges (plus 146 part-time).

The report concluded that eliminating or diminishing the role of lay magistrates would not be supported.

Cost savings from stipendiaries' greater efficiency would be offset by more custodial sentences, it added.The report has been passed to Lord Justice Auld to inform his review of the criminal justice system.Harry Mawdsley, chairman of the Magistrates Association, said the 30% figure 'is nothing like as great as may have been anticipated'.

The report showed that 'the presentsystem works well', he said.Malcolm Fowler, chairman of the Law Society's criminal law committee, said: 'The benefits of lay magistrates is that they live in the local area, and their work means that there is a greater democratic spread in local communities'.Franklin Sinclair, chairman of the Criminal Law Solicitors Association, warned that having more district judges ran the risk of losing 'the chance to be judged by your peers'.Victoria MacCallum