They've been described as middle-class, prejudiced, ill-trained and out of touch - yet 27,000 lay magistrates in England and Wales deal with 98 per cent of all criminal justice. Joshua Rozenberg has been taking a close look at how the Magistracy operates in Coventry - a city with an acute and escalating crime problem. Who are the local JPs and how do they tackle the sensitive task of judging their fellow citizens? The Coventry magistrates allowed recordings to be made while they retired to consider verdicts and sentences in cases of theft, burglary and assault as well as motoring offences.
The result is a revealing insight into how the 'amateur justices' administer a key part of our judicial system.
Producer BRIAN KING BBC Pebble Mill