Courts of Jersey

The Magistrate is referred to in the Jersey French of the legislation as the Juge d’Instruction,[11][12] although his role is not the same as the position with the same title in inquisitorial systems.

[13] If the Magistrate considers that a heavier sentence might be appropriate, then the case will be committed to the Royal Court for trial.

[17] 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.

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.

[19] In doing so the Centenier will discuss the evidence with the accused person and, if the offence is minor, possibly agree to 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).

[18] 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.

If internal complaint processes fail to resolve the issue, individuals can escalate their concerns to this panel.

[37] In 2000, the Clothier Review of Jersey’s governance framework proposed replacing the Complaints Panel with a professional ombudsperson.

Since 1985, selected judgments containing points of legal principle are formally published in the Jersey Law Reports.