Taking the fear out of court
An initiative to empower court witnesses and cut the number of cases that stall because of witnesses refusing to testify has been launched in Cambridgeshire.
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'll do while in 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.
Viewing the DVD
People can ask to view the DVD at Witness Care Units in criminal courts throughout Cambridgeshire.
The DVD can be viewed in English (with subtitles), Welsh (with subtitles), Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and British Sign Language. The animation can also be viewed here in the same languages as the DVD and also in Polish.
Improving services for victims and witnesses
Pauline Cornford, Area Director of Her Majesty’s Courts Service for Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, says the DVD will empower witnesses by fully informing them about what happens in court.
Mrs Cornford says: “Going to Court goes a long way to demystify the court process in a clear and helpful way, promoting confidence among those people facing a court appearance. More confident witnesses will mean a decrease in the number of court trials that stall because witnesses refuse to testify.”
Cambridgeshire Criminal Justice Board chair and Chief Constable Julie Spence says the DVD plays an important role in supporting witnesses:
“The DVD is a useful source of information for any witness who has to go to court and I expect that it will lead to a dramatically improved quality of service for victims and witnesses.”