Northern Ireland Court Service: Lay magistrates - reaching those who count

Acting on the recommendations of a Criminal Justice Review Group to enhance public confidence in the Northern Ireland Justice System, 300 new lay magistrates were sought to serve across seven district courts. The aim of the campaign was to redress the imbalance of the lay involvement in the court system as many sectors of society were under represented and felt distanced from participating in the justice system. Prior to the campaign people under 45 years of age made up 1.8% of the lay representation. Despite the complexities of the gender, religious and age profiles for Northern Ireland, the campaign successfully increased this to 73.4%, heralding a new era for the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland