Kids Law
This is a podcast about children and the laws that affect them as they grow up. Alma-Constance, our host, decided to start the podcast in 2021, when she turned 10 years old. Living in England, UK, she discovered that at 10 years old she would have reached the age of criminal responsibility. This is one of the youngest ages of criminalising children in the developed world. That was a pretty shocking discovery for her especially as she realised that she and her peers knew nothing about what this meant in practice and how it can affected children and their families. With the help of Lucinda Acland, a lawyer, and supported by Next 100 Years, they set out to ask some questions of leading experts to help children make sense of it all. There are a lot of laws that affect #children as they grow up and they are confusing and complicated and can affect all aspects of their day-to-day life from #education to online protections or at home, if families break up. It is difficult to keep track and understand the laws and how they impact a child's life. Alma-Constance is determined to help #TeachKidsLaw at a much younger age to help them grow up into adults confident with their legal knowledge. Understanding how the law works and being able to understand complex concepts of #justice and #ruleoflaw will help anyone as they try to navigate their lives. You can email us: kidslaw@spark21.org or reach us on social media channels and our www.kidslaw.info website.
Kids Law
Why we have juries and are they a good thing?
Why we have juries and are they a good thing?
Each year about 200,000 people undertake jury service, and they play a vital role in deciding the facts and evidence in trials and inquests. Recently, Lucinda was a juror and Alma-Constance asks about her experience and we talk to Professor Leslie Thomas KC about why it is so important for ordinary people to be involved in trials and inquests to ensure fairness, transparency, and trust in our legal system.
Leslie tells us:
· what a jury means and the cases they are involved with
· how jurors are chosen and the role they play in the legal process
· what happens if they can’t agree on a verdict
· whether we can trust ordinary people to make the right decisions
Leslie says that when he was 10 years old, he had a huge imagination and wanted to be an adventurer going to exotic places and exploring the world. He sees his role as a barrister to pursue justice and help the marginalised and voiceless.
Written, edited and produced by Lucinda Acland
References and Resources
@_lesliethomas
Do Right and Fear No One (Simon & Schuster) Professor Leslie Thomas KC
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/juries
http://www.gov.uk/jury-service
If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo
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See you soon in the next episode!
