SoE backs Magistrates’ Association calls

The Society of Editors has backed calls by the Magistrates’ Association for reform of the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) saying that it is vital that accredited journalists are allowed to observe sittings if public confidence is to be restored in the system.

The Society’s intervention comes as the Magistrates’ Association, representing Justice of the Peace across England and Wales, urged the Ministry of Justice to adopt a 12-point plan including provisions to open up the SJP to accredited journalists as well as considering the public interest before cases come to court and further data on how many individuals are prosecuted under the current system without being present or issuing a plea.

Responding to the 12-point plan, Dawn Alford, executive director of the Society of Editors said: “At a time when there has been a significant move in recent years by the justice system to allow wider reporting in areas which, historically, have been private in nature, it seems at odds with the principle of open justice that SJP cases continue to be heard behind closed doors.

“Alongside consideration of the public interest and additional investment in training, it is vital that accredited journalists are allowed to observe SJP sittings if the public is to feel confident that the system is being used fairly and transparently.”

The Single Justice Procedure was introduced in 2015 to streamline prosecutions of crimes such as fare evasion and speeding and, currently, it allows a single magistrate to deal with cases behind-closed-doors based on written evidence alone. Use of the system has come under immense scrutiny following a number of investigations, many by the Evening Standard, which have uncovered criminal cases including elderly pensioners, cancer patients, and people with severe learning difficulties being convicted and fined behind-closed-doors, added SoE.

Mark Beattie JP, national chairman of the Magistrates’ Association, said: “We believe that the principle of the Single Justice Procedure is good.

“Every year it spares thousands of defendants the ordeal of having to attend court for minor offences, and it allows for more efficient use of court time, which means speedier justice and a focus on more serious offences.

“However, it is not a perfect system. While the vast majority of cases are handled effectively by the SJP, our members – magistrates who decide on SJP cases – have told us about flaws in the way it operates and the harm that this can have on some of society’s most vulnerable people.

“It is clear to us that reform, as well as additional investment in training and transparency, is needed to restore public confidence in the Single Justice Procedure.”