The Magistrate's Tale. A Frontline report from a New JP

When Trevor Grove was called up for Jury service, he became so intrigued with the justice system that he wrote a successful book about it—The Juryman’s Tale. Now he’s joined the magistracy and gives a fascinating, funny, and insightful account of just how the magistracy works at a time of great change. Interweaving his own personal experience of becoming a magistrate in north London with general observations, relevant interviews, and a little history, Trevor Grove takes us on a fascinating journey into this extraordinary and unique institution. He has visited courts all over the country to talk to magistrates and observe how crimes and criminals differ from region to region, and how the "benches" dealing with them differ too. He has visited jails and Young Offenders’ Institutions, and he has interviewed all of the principal players, from the Lord Chief Justice and Home Secretary, to more integral characters such as justices’ clerks, ushers, probation officers, local police and offenders.