Long description

This figure consists of a series of boxes, representing various courts. Upward-pointing arrows show the route of appeals from one court to another. Mauve boxes represent courts of first instance, which hear only new cases, light brown boxes represent appellate courts, which hear only appeals and a light green box represents a court that is both a court of first instance and an appellate court. At the bottom of the figure is a mauve box labelled ‘Magistrates’ Courts’, showing that these are courts of first instance. Two arrows go up from the box labelled ‘Magistrates’ Courts’. One arrow goes to a green box labelled ‘The Crown Court’, showing that the Crown Court is a court of first instance and an appellate court. The other goes to a light brown box labelled ‘Divisional Court of the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court’, showing that this is an appellate court. One arrow from each of the ‘The Crown Court’ and ‘Divisional Court of the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court’ boxes goes up to a light brown box labelled ‘Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), showing that this is an appellate court. An arrow from the ‘Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)’ box goes up to the light brown box at the figure, which is labelled ‘Supreme Court’, showing that this is the highest UK appellate court.