Legal Architecture: Justice, Due Process and the Place of Law

Legal Architecture: Justice, Due Process and the Place of Law
ISBN-10
0415575397
ISBN-13
9780415575393
Category
Courthouses
Pages
204
Language
English
Published
2011
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Author
Linda Mulcahy

Description

Legal Architecture addresses how the design of the courthouse and courtroom can be seen as a physical expression of our relationship with ideals of justice. It provides an alternative history of the trial, which charts the troubled history of notions of due process and participation. In contrast to visions of judicial space as neutral, Linda Mulcahy argues that understanding the factors that determine the architecture of the courthouse and courtroom are crucial to a broader and more nuanced understanding of the trial. The partitioning of the courtroom into zones and the restriction of movement within it are the result of turf wars about who can legitimately participate in the legal arena and call the judiciary to account. The gradual containment of the public, the increasing amount of space allocated to advocates, and the creation of dedicated space for journalists and the jury, all have complex histories that deserve more attention than they have been given. But these issues are not only of historical significance. Across jurisdictions, questions are now being asked about the internal configurations of the courthouse and courtroom, and whether standard designs meet the needs of modern participatory democracies. The presence and design of the modern dock; the dematerialisation of the courtroom by increasing use of new technologies; and the extent to which courthouses can be described as public spaces are all being hotly debated. This fascinating and original reflection on legal architecture will be of interest to sociolegal or critical scholars working in the field or legal geography legal history, criminology, legal systems, legal method, evidence, human rights and architecture.

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