Transforming 'summary justice' through police-led prosecution and 'virtual courts': is 'procedural due process' being undermined?

Ward, Jennifer ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3018-2859 (2015) Transforming 'summary justice' through police-led prosecution and 'virtual courts': is 'procedural due process' being undermined? British Journal of Criminology, 55 (2) . pp. 341-358. ISSN 0007-0955 [Article] (doi:10.1093/bjc/azu077)

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Abstract

The administration of ‘summary’ justice in the lower criminal courts in England and Wales is undergoing significant transformation. Broadly, this sits within the desire to create a modernised and more streamlined system. But, criminal justice scholars state ‘swift justice’ is not necessarily fair justice, and ‘procedural due process’ might be challenged by objectives of economics and speed. This paper centres on two areas of change - the expanded role of the police in prosecutorial decision-making, and the introduction of ‘virtual courts’ where accused defendants appear via video link from police stations to the criminal courts. It is argued these two alterations call into question fundamental principles of procedural due process.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: First published online: October 8, 2014
Research Areas: A. > School of Law > Criminology and Sociology
Item ID: 14569
Notes on copyright: This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in British Journal of Criminology following peer review. The version of record Jenni Ward; Transforming ‘Summary Justice’ Through Police-led Prosecution and ‘Virtual Courts’: Is ‘Procedural Due Process’ Being Undermined?, The British Journal of Criminology, Volume 55, Issue 2, March 2015, Pages 341–358, is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article/55/2/341/595012 and https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azu077.
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Depositing User: Jenni Ward
Date Deposited: 17 Apr 2015 15:24
Last Modified: 29 Nov 2022 22:56
URI: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/id/eprint/14569

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