From the outside, -- magistrates' court looks like a leisure centre. It is built from big blocks of yellow stone and its metal window frames are painted a garish red. There is a cement plaque set into the façade which states that it was officially opened by a Lord Lieutenant. A large plate-glass door opens onto a vaulted vestibule. On the door there is a sticker which says: 'We accept MasterCard and Visa.'

Inside, the atmosphere resembles that of an airport terminal. It isn't just the decor: the large hall, the white walls, the rows of functional seating facing the courtroom doors and the large windows through which the light streams in. Today, the youth court is in session, as it is once a week. Almost all the court's clientele are dressed in leisurewear: shell suits, hooded tops, baseball caps and trainers - a uniform equally suitable for court, sport or global travel.

LRB 25 July 2002 | PDF Download