A way to speed up the criminal system?

Sitting in court this morning before a Justice of the Peace I considered one step in the process where (as in most cases) there is a plea.

Scheduling is done by Justices of the Peace but they cannot take a plea. So matters have to be adjourned from the Justice to a Judge. The Judge then has to learn the story and take the plea -- and so cannot do other things, like trials.

Why not have the Justice of the Peace take the plea? If necessary limit the pleas so taken to joint submissions on sentence (the vast majority) and summary prosecution only. The Code provisions are, I think, broad enough to allow this without amendment.

James Morton
1100-5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4

416 225 2777