The Ministry of Justice insists that prosecuting bodies like the DVLA, TV Licensing, councils, police forces, and Transport for London all have a choice whether to use the system or bring cases in open court. It says magistrates — aided by legal advisers — do consider mitigation, while pleas and mitigation are placed on the online system and can, in theory, also be looked at by prosecutors. However, prosecuting bodies say they have no idea when letters from defendants are available to be viewed, and they do not in reality see them.
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