An official website
here gives some interesting statistics about the make-up of the judiciary. Make of them what you will, but one thing in particular caught my eye:- some 29.1% of District Judges (Magistrates' Courts) are of the female persuasion as against about 53% of lay magistrates, and 2.8% of DJ(MC)s are of black or minority ethnic (BME) origin.I do not know the figure for BME lay magistrates but I am sure that it is a good deal higher than 2.8%.
So whatever the pros and cons of the salaried DJ bench, if it's diversity you are after, a lay bench ticks the box every time.
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