Year 10 - Citizenship
What key roles do citizens play within the criminal justice system?
How can we play a part in the legal system?
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
Pupils consider a range of roles within the legal system, explore what rights citizens have within the justice system and what influence they can have on the law.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain the impact that citizens have on the justice system when they become a magistrate, JP or member of a jury.
Key Notes
- A jury of 12 citizens decides crown court trial outcomes based on evidence.
- Juries ensure fair verdicts and uphold justice by peers.
- Magistrates and JPs handle summary cases in magistrate courts ensuring efficiency and easing higher court burdens.
- Juries, magistrates and JPs let citizens contribute to justice in their community as a part of civic responsibility.
Vocabulary To Learn
- jury: a group of local people who are chosen randomly to make a decision in a legal case
- justice: fairness as a result of the application of a law, usually by a judge, in society
- magistrate orJP: ordinary people handling minor cases or preliminary hearings in magistrates courts, ensuring justice in criminal, family, and youth cases
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- That magistrates or JPs have a legal background and carry out the role in a paid capacity like crown court judges.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
A jury of 12 citizens decides crown court trial outcomes based on evidence. Juries ensure fair verdicts and uphold justice by peers.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'jury'
a group of local people who are chosen randomly to make a decision in a legal case.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: That magistrates or JPs have a legal background and carry out the role in a paid capacity like crown court judges. Correction: Magistrates and JPs carry out the role on a volunteer basis as part of their civic responsibility.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Deliberate discussion - Should all citizens take part in the legal system? Study Guide
- How do citizens influence the law? Study Guide
- How do citizens play a role in policing? Study Guide
- How have trade unions played a part in the legal system? Study Guide
- Why is Magna Carta still relevant in today's society? Study Guide
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