Courts of Jersey

The Courts of Jersey are responsible for the administration of justice in the Bailiwick of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands. They apply the law of the Island, which is a mixture of customary law and legislation passed by the legislature, the States Assembly.

The principal court is the Royal Court, which has been in existence since the 13th century, and exercises both civil and criminal jurisdiction. Additional courts, such as the Magistrate's Court, which deals with minor criminal matters, and the Court of Appeal, which hears appeals from the Royal Court, have been added to the Island's legal system more recently. There are also a number of specialist tribunals.

The Parish Hall Enquiry is an informal way of dealing with minor criminal behaviour, particularly by young people, which has been in use in Jersey for over 800 years.

The Enquiry is not actually a court hearing. It is an opportunity for the Centenier (the head of the Honorary Police for the parish) to review the evidence and decide whether it is in the public interest for the case to be tried in the Magistrate's Court. In doing so the Centenier will discuss the evidence with the accused person and, if the offence is minor, possibly agree a non-statutory sanction which will avoid the need for the case to go to court. Attendance at the Enquiry is voluntary, the Centenier does not make a finding of guilt (a sanction is only imposed if the accused agrees, otherwise the case is sent on to the Magistrate's Court) and at any time the accused may elect to have the case referred to the Magistrate.

Sanctions which can be imposed include:

These sanctions are not convictions but a record is kept and they may be referred to in the event of the accused coming into contact with the criminal justice system on a subsequent occasion.

The Parish Hall Enquiry system has been found to "deal successfully and appropriately with a wide range of offending", to have a low rate of recidivism, and a high level of satisfaction amongst victims.

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