MIC

Alternatively, contact MIC Requests at the Magistrates Association. Someone will respond as soon as possible to put you in touch with a magistrate in your area...

Many people have little idea who magistrates are or what we do, yet harbour outdated misconceptions about us. That this is changing is largely due to the success of Magistrates in the Community. MIC is essentially the public relations arm of the magistracy with a remit to educate and inform the local community about our work and hence increase confidence in our justice system, and encourage wider recruitment.

We do not have a formal panel or committee – everyone on our bench is invited to play a part in our MIC team, in which ever way they are able – so we benefit from a wide range of ideas and

Our MIC activities are planned and organised by a team of four magistrates. While we overlap and work together on most things, we each have specific areas of responsibility. As co-ordinator, I oversee our activities, and work on recruitment initiatives with employers and employees. Another member uses his contacts as a retired teacher to organise most of our activities in the north of our area and he is responsible for the format we use for Open Days.

From the moment new magistrates are sworn in, we encourage them to take part in MIC activities. It is the only area where new magistrates can take part immediately and this helps them to integrate more quickly, and makes them feel that they are contributing to the bench right from the start. For MIC, it is an excellent way of recruiting new talent who bring fresh ideas and new skills to revitalise our work. It really is a win/win situation.

"It would be easy for MIC work to become routine – schools, community groups, colleges. We have learned to try to reach beyond the obvious. The MIC team thrives because it recognises that, like the magistracy, it needs to be relevant, and fully engaged with our whole community."

skills. From a bench of about 150 magistrates, over a third contribute at some time to MIC activities. Not all magistrates can spare time for presentations to schools or adult groups, but can help to write case studies, or brain-storm new ideas for recruitment strategies.