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01 January 2009 / Andrew Keogh
Issue: 7350+7351 / Categories: Opinion , Procedure & practice
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Andrew Keogh on plans to introduce virtual courts

The Legal Services Commission, under instruction from the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, has consulted on amendments to the unifi ed
criminal contract that would provide the framework for the introduction of “virtual courts” in early 2009. What is proposed is that once a person is charged with an off ence at a police station they would appear, via video-link, “before” a magistrates’ court within two hours. Th e defendant would not leave the police station, or if he were to be bailed, he would have to return a short time later for the video-link appearance. The scheme would run into the early evening, and would later be extended to late evening.

Video-link
There is nothing new in video-link technology, it was fi rst legislated for in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and has proved to be a popular, sensible and proportionate way to conduct a large number of hearings. Expensive prisoner movements have been dramatically reduced and hearings are in the main conducted more

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