COMMUNITY groups from South Cheshire will have the fate of local 'criminals' in the palm of their hands as part of a pioneering project to educate people about the justice system.

Cheshire Police is searching for organisations to take part in the Local Crime: Community Sentence project, a revolutionary initiative to improve public confidence in the courts.

The project will see local magistrates and probation officers team up for a series of public presentations and workshops about how the justice system operates.

The project will visit a range of community groups to discuss how verdicts and sentences are decided, and what possible sanctions can be imposed.

As part of the workshops, the audience will be asked to take the role of magistrates in a mock 'trial'.

They will be presented with evidence about the crime and facts about the 'criminal', before being asked to suggest their own verdict and sentence.

The presentations will also detail how decisions are arrived at, including what type of sentence can be imposed.

Tina Ledwith, spokesman for Cheshire Probation Service, said: "The whole aim is to let members of the public gain an understanding of the thoughts and processes involved in the justice system.

"They get a real feel for the information that magistrates are presented with, its limitations and the difficulties and decisions they face in choosing a sentence."

Crewe YMCA will be one of the first local groups to benefit from the project in the next couple of weeks, and the probation service is looking for other groups to take part.

The presentations would be ideally suited to a whole range of organisations, including sixth form colleges, Rotary clubs, parish councils and women's institutes.

They take a minimum of one hour to complete, and can be held in the daytime or evening.

For more information, call the probation service on 01244 394500.