Module Two: Justices in the District Court

Introduction

Module one covered the wider context of law and courts in New Zealand. In this module you will think about the specific work of Justices.

While Judges are lawyers with many years experience and training, Justices are lay people who are considered to have enough wisdom, life experience and common sense to make lawful decisions. However, it is only natural that there are limits to what cases you can deal with and what you are authorised to do. This module also introduces you to some of the administrative processes involved in getting a case through the court system.

There are two sections in this module: Criminal Proceedings and Jurisdiction.

Module objective

To acquire specific knowledge of the context, place and jurisdiction of Justices in the District Court.

Reading

Judicial JP Manual chapter 2, Introduction to Criminal Proceedings

Judicial JP Manual chapter 3, Jurisdiction

Finn and Mathias Criminal Procedure in New Zealand (2nd ed,Thomson Reuters, Wellington, 2015), chapter 2. (This reading will be referred to as Criminal Procedure in New Zealand).

www.justice.govt.nz (Criminal Procedure Information pages)

Time

This module should take you take between 15 and 25 hours including readings and activities, depending on your personal preferred working style.

Before you begin

Your Learning Journal - Questions for reflection

Read through the journal questions for the specific aspects covered in this module. Remember that the quality of your reflection is the important factor here, not the amount that you write.

If you answer any of the questions in your journal before you start the module activities, you may need to return to those questions and update your answers if you learn something new or change your stance on an issue. can return to the rest of the questions while you work through each section, or at the end of the module.