The justice system · GCSE Citizenship Studies

Criminal courts

All criminal cases start in a magistrates' court. Magistrates are usually trained volunteers (lay magistrates) who sit in twos or threes; some courts have a paid district judge instead. They deal with less serious (summary) offences.
Serious (indictable) offences, such as murder, go to the Crown Court, with a judge and a jury of 12. The jury decides guilt; the judge decides the sentence.
Youth courts deal with 10- to 17-year-olds and are less formal.
Appeals go to higher courts: the Court of Appeal and, finally, the Supreme Court, the UK's highest court (since 2009).

Civil cases are heard in county courts or the High Court. Tribunals handle specialist disputes, such as employment.
Alternative dispute resolution avoids court: mediation (a neutral person helps both sides agree) and arbitration (a neutral person makes a binding decision).

The police investigate crime and arrest suspects. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decides whether to prosecute.
Solicitors give legal advice; barristers argue cases in the higher courts. Judges run trials and interpret the law.
Legal aid helps people who can't afford legal advice. A suspect's rights include the right to free legal advice and to remain silent.

Aims of sentencing: punishment, deterrence, rehabilitation, protecting the public and reparation (making amends).
Sentences include fines, community sentences, suspended sentences and prison. Youth sentences focus on rehabilitation.