Why do we need a criminal justice system?

Full Episode description

In our eighth episode, Alma-Constance tells Lucinda that she was shocked to find out that she has reached the age of criminal responsibility at just 10 years old and wanted to find out why we need a criminal justice system and how does it affect children.  Their guest for this episode is the person who calls themselves the Secret Barrister, who is a junior barrister specialising in criminal law, and author and blogger.  

The Secret Barrister does not want to reveal their identity in public and  wants to be able explain the law plainly so people can understand how it affects us all. Their words were read out by Alice Acland to keep their voice anonymous.

In our previous interviews with Max Hill and Cressida Dick we have heard that very few children get caught up in crime, but of course when they do it can have very serious consequences for them and has a huge impact on their lives and their family. Some people find it confusing that someone accused of a crime should be allowed to have a lawyer defending them. But this is a very important principle that everyone is entitled to a fair hearing especially  when it is the state, the government who is prosecuting them and they have resources to do this, and the consequences can be so serious. 

You can find more about The Secret Barrister on their blog: https://thesecretbarrister.com

The Secret Barrister’s first book and Sunday Times No.1 Bestseller, “Stories of The Law and How It’s Broken”, was published by Pan Macmillan in March 2018, and was in the top-ten bestseller list for over a year. 

Their new book, “Fake Law”, was published by Picador in September 2020.

Alma-Constance and Lucinda would love to hear from you! 

Tell us what you think of our episode, and if you've got any questions,  ideas about a topic or someone you'd like us to interview,  please  contact us through the website, kidslaw.info  or on social media  on Twitter @KidsLawInfo, Facebook and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

You can also email us: kidslaw@spark21.org

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See you in the next episode!