Magistrates Association

Abstract One hundred years on from the founding of the Magistrates Association (MA) this article explores the role that the MA has played, and continues to play, in informing and influencing the future development of the magistracy, the courts and the broader criminal justice system. It looks at reforms to the magistracy over the last century and then explores the need for further reform, looking at magistrate numbers, diversity and training, magistrates’ courts and the court reform programme, the powers available to magistrates, and the need for political will to enable the modernisation of the magistracy within the context of reform to the courts.

This research is mainly concerned with the reasons why many organizations remain rooted in the early quality eras and what prevents them from making the transition to the era of strategic quality management. The study examined the characteristics of 13 organizations at various stages of their quality initiatives. Interviews were conducted on a face‐to‐face basis using a semi‐structured questionnaire in order to obtain an in‐depth picture of each organization. The results enabled organizational profiles to be constructed, identifying in particular the key characteristics of those organizations which had successfully integrated their quality initiative into organization strategy. These findings provide useful learning for those organizations wishing to progress their quality initiatives.