Understanding Magistrates' Courts
Magistrates' Courts are the first point of contact for the vast majority of criminal cases in England and Wales. They handle summary offences such as minor assaults, motoring offences, and petty theft, as well as some either-way offences that can be tried in either a Magistrates' Court or a Crown Court.
Cases are typically heard by a bench of two or three lay magistrates, who are volunteers from the local community trained in the law, or by a single district judge who is a qualified legal professional. Magistrates' Courts do not use juries; decisions on both verdict and sentence are made by the magistrates or district judge.
Sentencing powers in Magistrates' Courts are more limited than in Crown Courts. The maximum custodial sentence a Magistrates' Court can impose for a single offence is generally six months, or twelve months for consecutive sentences. Other available sentences include fines, community orders, conditional discharges, and compensation orders.
Our database records sentencing outcomes from Magistrates' Courts across England and Wales. All information is sourced from publicly-available records and verified by our editorial team. Select a court above to browse its sentencing history.