HM Courts Service
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Taking the fear out of courts
An initiative in the fight against fear and confusion felt by witnesses of the court process across England and Wales, has been announced by the Courts Minister Maria Eagle, today.
Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) has developed an interactive, multilingual and animated DVD to help witnesses and victims understand their crucial role in the court process.
The DVD 'Going to Court: A step by step guide to being a witness' is an easy-to-follow animation seen through the eyes of a witness. It explains why victims and witnesses are so important in the court process and what they will do while at court. It has separate routes for prosecution and defence witnesses to follow at their own pace and witnesses can also tour a magistrates', Crown, and youth court. There is a frequently asked questions section at the end.
Courts Minister Maria Eagle says the DVD would encourage both victims and witnesses to give evidence by fully informing them of what happens in court:
"We recognise that going to court can be a daunting experience. For many witnesses the court is an unfamiliar environment and can be quite frightening, especially for those who have been called to give evidence for the first time. This DVD is an important step in addressing and responding to witness and victim anxiety."
The multilingual DVD recognises the diverse backgrounds of court users, and can be viewed in English (with subtitles), Welsh (with subtitles), Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and British Sign Language all on one disc.
Sir Ron De Witt, HMCS Chief Executive says the initiative is much needed by victims and witnesses:
"Going to Court goes a long way to demystify the court process in a clear and helpful way, and promotes confidence among those having to attend court. Better informed witnesses will mean more confident witnesses."
The DVD was successfully piloted last year in Nottingham and Leicester, and developed in conjunction with a number of criminal justice partner agencies including the Victim Support/Witness Service who fully support the initiative. An evaluation of the pilot found that most people who saw the DVD felt more confident in going to court, and more than half would encourage others to attend court as witnesses.
HMCS have initially distributed around 200,000 copies of the Going to Court DVD nation wide, to Witness Care Units and defence solicitors and the court based Witness Service in England and Wales.
The animation can also be viewed online at http://www.directgov.uk/goingtocourtvideo where it will be available in the same languages as the DVD but also including Polish.
Those witnesses who do not have access to a DVD player at home or elsewhere, will be able to watch the DVD in a witness waiting room at each Crown or magistrates' court.
NOTES
1. Her Majesty's Courts Service is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. Our remit is to deliver justice effectively and efficiently to the public. We are responsible for managing the magistrates' courts, the Crown Court, county courts, the High Court and Court of Appeal in England and Wales.
2. Copies of the DVD are available from the Witness Service based at local (criminal) courts, defence lawyers or Witness Care Units.
