The role of the judge in criminal proceedings is a multifaceted one that is subject constantly to new demands and challenges. In recent times,for example, judges have been accorded greater responsibility for case management in advance of trial, adaptations to the rules of evidence have enhanced the scope for discretionary decision-making, while legislative developments in the sentencing field have forced a reevaluation of the judge's role in sentencing offenders. In the near future, the judicial role in this jurisdiction will take on a new dimension when the Human Rights Act is implemented. This collection of essays includes contributions on the above themes and beyond, including the issues of plea bargaining, judges in emergency situations, judges and media concerns, victims in the criminal process and magistrates' justice. The collection is comparative and international in scope and includes contributions from leading scholars in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Authors include Judge Jack B. Weinstein, Andrew Ashworth, Mike McConville, and Justice Albie Sachs.

...essays cover a wide range of criminal justice topicsallows the richness and interconnections of the criminal process to emerge.This is a valuable collection for all that are interested in the Anglo-American criminal process and the evolving, dynamic and often controversial role of judges in that process. Kent Roach, University of Toronto Public Law January 2001 This is a scholarly collection of thought provoking contributions to an ongoing debate in Britain and abroad. The calibre of the contributors to this book gives an indication of the weight of analysis presented here. It is another excellent addition to the already excellent Hart catalogue. Graeme Broadbent The Law Teacher January 2001

Sean Doran is Professor of Law at the Queen's University of Belfast. John Jackson is a Professor of Law and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Queen's University of Belfast.