Participation is hindered by the informality of magistrates' courts.

Abstract

The criminal justice system in England and Wales relies on magistrates' courts. The parties must work together as a unified network in order for these 
courts to efficiently handle their heavy caseloads. Despite the fact that processes are subject to sophisticated uses of procedural and legal provisions, such 
cooperation relies on a culture of perceived informality among courtroom staff. The workgroup's apparently casual approach to keeping magistrates' courts 
operational so that they can handle large volume caseloads masks these intricacies. Defendants' capacities to engage in processes are undermined by the 
cloak of informality that falls over magistrates' court proceedings, I suggest here. Evidence from interviews with attorneys and observations of judges' 
court procedures shows that the courtroom team works together as a network that encourages cooperative behaviors. According to the statistics, defendants 
are unable to fully engage as the processes are both oversimplified and made too casual due to the prevalent culture of workgroup cooperation.