The four courts were located in different regions of the country, but all processed average or above-average numbers of cases. The analysis focused on the use of the extensive new powers that lay magistrates have received in England and Wales during the 1980's. Findings showed extreme variations in sentencing practices both within and among the courts. Thus, whether offenders are imprisoned or not depends as much upon who sentences them as upon what they have done. Results also showed that magistrates have a set of beliefs about their perceived responsibilities, their special skills, and their place in the community. These beliefs form a coherent ideology that makes the magistrates highly resistant to calls for change, greater consistency, or more accountability. Tables, index, and 143 references.