Professionalism and the Impact of England's First Women Justices, 1920–1950

Bibliographic Data

ID8958353
AuthorsAnne Logan (0000-0002-9556-4647, University of Kent, corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume49
Issue3
Pages833-850
Publication date2006-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Historical Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0018-246X • E-ISSN: 1469-5103
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0018246x0600553x
OpenAlexW2085071545
LanguageEN
Citations received3

This article examines the impact of England's first women justices of the peace (JPs) on the work of lay magistrates in the period 1920–50. It argues that the early women JPs (many of whom had been active in the women's suffrage campaign), and the organizations that they belonged to, helped to transform the institution of the lay magistracy by adopting a more ‘professional’ approach, evidenced in their willingness to educate and train themselves for their new role. In consequence, this article challenges conventional definitions of ‘professionalism’, arguing that, where the work of JPs was concerned, the boundary between ‘voluntary’ and ‘professional’ activities was less clear than might be supposed. Furthermore, the willingness of many women magistrates in particular (later followed by some of their male colleagues) to undergo training helped to ensure the survival of the lay element in the criminal justice system to the present day

Criminal justice · Criminology · Economic Justice · Element (criminal law · Institution · Period (music · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Suffrage · Work (physics · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Engineering · Gender Studies · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Law · Public Administration · World Wars: History, Literature, and Impact

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