Video Remand Hearings What are Video Remand Hearings

Video Remand Hearings What are Video Remand Hearings? Video Remand Hearings (VRH) are hearings conducted via video technology for defendants who have been arrested and detained by the police. It means that the defendant attends their hearing via video link whilst in custody, rather than travelling to court. The Court has the final say as to which cases are suitable for this type of hearing, taking into consideration information provided by all agencies, including liaison and diversion and the defendant or their representative. All participants will appear remotely including the judiciary. Legislative changes will ensure open justice is fully maintained. The proceedings can be viewed via TV screens located in supervised viewing areas of court buildings. Key Benefits: • Reduces transportation time for the defendant from Police custody to the court. • Reduces delay between being detained and appearing before the court. • Solicitors are able to represent numerous defendants at different custody units and appear before different courts more easily. • Fully Video hearings such as VRH do not occupy traditional court rooms, allowing them to be freed for in-person hearings. • The judiciary have the final say about which cases proceed via VRH and those defendants that must appear in person. What have we done so far? • A number of pilot sites, primarily in the South East, are being used to test the concept of VRH. • We are listening to feedback from the Home Office Video Enable Justice Programs in relation to enabling remote access for defence and prosecution. • The technology and processes for VRH are being tested with all parties. What is planned for the next twelve months? • Live testing with defence and prosecution conducting proceedings away from the court room. • Technology will be further developed to allow probation and language services to engage in proceedings via video link. • We will work towards introducing changes to legislation to enable fully video hearings to be tested • A full independent evaluation of VRH is being conducted. This will consider the effectiveness of the hearings and examine the outcomes of the proceedings. If you want to know more you can follow our blog at https: //insidehmcts. blog. gov. uk or email: changesomethingthatmatters@justice. gov. uk