Frequently asked questions
Questions
When will it start?
Who will hear cases?
Will the courtroom be open 24hrs?
Will drug addicts be treated there?
What parts of Salford are covered?
Will other parts of Salford be involved?
Is the Community Justice Initiative the reason the Magistrates' Court requires a new building?
Q: When will it start?
We have already started the development work and Community Justice will be up and running from November 2005 based within the Magistrates' Court at Bexley Square.
Q: Who will hear cases?
Cases will be heard by local magistrates (and the District Judge) who will receive training in community justice principles. Existing magistrates have volunteered to become involved in the initiative and a campaign is underway to recruit more magistrates from the local area.
Q: Will the courtroom be open 24 hours?
The court will operate during normal working hours. It will operate one day a week from November and will be extended to further days in the future.
Q: Will drug addicts be treated there?
No treatment or dispensing will take place at the court, but defendants with drug or alcohol related offending will be referred to a dedicated team who will address those issues to help break the cycle of offending.
Q: What parts of Salford are covered?
The Community Justice Initiative is based within Salford Magistrates' Court, Bexley Square. It will eventually operate throughout Salford but will initially focus on Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) applications from across Salford, and 'Quality of life' criminal offences committed in Eccles Neighbourhood Management Area (NMA)
Q: Will other parts of Salford be involved?
Yes. The courtroom will deal with anti-social behaviour order applications from across the city, as well as a wider range of quality of life crimes from Eccles NMA. Once we have established and monitored performance in Eccles we will build on the lessons learned to extend to other areas of Salford.
Q: Is the Community Justice Initiative the reason the Magistrates' Court requires a new building?
No, the Community Justice Court will start in November 2005 and will continue to run every week there after at The City of Salford Magistrates Court in Bexley Square in Salford.