Explain The Structure And Operation Of The Courts 2 / 3

Criminal Court System

These are the Criminal Courts:

  1. Magistrates Court 

    This is where you go if your case is a 'summary case' -this just means the max fine is £5k and max imprisonment is 6 months

    The decision is made by the Magistrate

  2. Crown Court 

    This is where you would go for an "Indictable Offence" - the decision is made by a jury, and sentence decided by a judge

    (some cases are called "either-way' cases eg theft, drugs etc and these could go in either magistrates or county courts)

Where can you appeal to if you lost a Magistrates Court decision?

  1. Appeal to the Crown court (or High court (Divisional court of King's bench division) for a legal mistake)

  2. If that fails appeal to the Court of Appeal

  3. If that fails appeal to the Supreme Court

Where can you appeal to if you lose a Crown court case?

  1. If that fails appeal to the Court of Appeal

  2. If that fails appeal to the Supreme Court

Civil Court System

These are the Civil Courts:

  1. County Court

    This is for small claims track cases (less than £10k and no need to attend)

    It is also for fast track cases (£10 - 25k) held in court in 1 day

  2. High Court

    This is for large and/or complex cases

    It is also for multi-track cases over £25k

Where can you appeal to if you lose a County or High court case?

  1. Court of Appeal

  2. If that fails appeal to the Supreme Court

    You can appeal directly to the Supreme Court from the high court in rare circumstances

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