Permanence of Coronavirus Recovery and Reform Act measures: consultation analysis

Annex 3: Views on Chapter 2 provisions from lived experience group

Rationale

The proposal in Chapter 2 relates to making permanent provisions allowing people to attend a criminal court by electronic means (for example, by live video link). Justice agencies and victim support organisations have expressed strong support for maintaining these provisions. When consulted on extending this current temporary measure for a further year, victim support organisations highlighted that attending court physically can be traumatising for people affected by crime - particularly if they face the prospect of meeting the person who has caused them harm, or that person’s family or supporters – and suggested that returning to more limited scope for virtual attendance by victims and witnesses would be regressive.

Although our consultation was shared with a wide group of stakeholders including advocacy groups we were keen to gather views directly from victims themselves.

Methodology

The questions were shared as Microsoft Form with the victims through Victim Support Scotland who distributed the link on our behalf. We had no direct engagement with the respondents themselves. For data privacy reasons, the distribution list was not shared with us and we are unable to comment on the size and makeup of the sample size which is a limitation of this survey

Questions

1. Name (optional)

2. Email address (optional)

3. What is your view on these changes?

4. If you have any comments on the proposal for permanency of this provision, please provide them below.

5. What should the court think about when deciding if people can attend court electronically?