Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/88

 36 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — UNITED KINGDOM

case Women are liable to serve on juries. The Central Criminal Court is the "court of oyer and terminer and gaol delivery for the City of London and a large surrounding district. The sessions of this court are held at least twelve times a year and more often if necessary. The Recorder and the Common Serieant and, if the number of the prisoners makes it necessary, the judge o the City 'of London Court, sit on the first two days, after which they are joined by one of the judges of the High Court on the rota, for whom the more serious cases are reserved. Criminal cases of special importance or complexity arising in any part of the country may, by direction of the Lord Chief Justice ^ be brought for trial in the Kings Bench Division of the High Court of Justice before three High Court Judges, the Lord Chief Justice himself presiding A petty sessional court deals summarily with minor ottences Cases of a more serious nature are usually investigated by a petty sessional court before being tried at the sessions or the assizes. To every sessions assize, and to eve^y sitting of the Central Criminal Court, the sheriff cites 24 of the chief inhabitants of the district, of whom not less than 12 and not moi e than 23 are sworn and constitute a grand jury, which examines the bill of indictment against the accused person, hears the evidence of witnesses for the prosecution, and if it thinks a prima facie case for trial is made out endorses the bill 'a true bill.' All criminal trials, except those which come before a court of summary jurisdiction, take place before a judge and a petty jury of twelve persons. Appeal is allowed in criminal cases : CI on a point of law; (ii.) on a question of fact, or other sufficient ground if the Ke certifies the case as fit for appeal, or the Court o Criminal ^ Appeal grants leave to appeal ; and (iii. ) against the sentence (if not fixed by lav ) w ith the leave of the Appeal Court. On a conviction the judge can, it he think fit, reserve a question of law (but not of fact) for the Court of Crimma Appeal, which can reverse, amend, or affirm the judgment- ™*°*g other method of securing the revision of a sentence is by the Royal pre- rogative, exercised on the advice of the Home Secretary, by which a sentence can be modified or annulled. No man can be tried again for the same crime after a petty jury has found him ' not guilty. Nomina y all the judges are appointed by the King, but in practice the Lord Chancellor (wh* is administer ex-officio president of the House of Lords, ^{^*"g the ministry), the Lord Chief Justice, the Lords of Appeal, who sit in the House of Lords and on the Judicial Committee of the Trivy Council, and the Lords Justices of Appeal who sit in the Court of Appeal, arc appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, and all the other judges on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor. „„,«*„!

The courts having jurisdiction in civil cases are the County Courts, cieated in 1846, Assizes, and the High Court. Above the High Court is the Court of Appeal, and above that the House of Lords. .. ,

The authorised strength of the police force in England and A\ ales on September 29, 1919, was 56,166.

Scotland. The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court in Scotland. It consists of all the judges of the Court of Session, and sits more or less fre- .Hiently, as the number of cases before it may require, in Edinburgh or in the circuit towns. One judge can, and usually does, try cases, but two or more preside in cases of difficulty or importance. It is the only competent court ir cases of treason, murder, robbery, rape, fire-raising, deforcement of messengers, and generally in all cases in which a higher punishment than imprisonment _« by statute directed to be inflicted ; and it has moreover an inherent junsdic, lion to punish all criminal acts, both those already established by common law