Call for more technology changes in courts
Criminal proceedings should expand the use of technology and reduce prisoner movements and the associated costs and staffing required, a new report says.
Allowing key prosecution documents to be circulated electronically and further expanding video-link in criminal proceedings should be considered to reduce the demands on garda and prison resources and improve court efficiency, an expert committee has said.
A group made up of key State agencies also suggests installing a video link in the Children’s Court in Dublin, over concerns about the impact of appearing in person in court over consecutive days is having on the educational and rehabilitative routine of juveniles.
The measures are among a range of initial recommendations made by the group, which was set up to expand the use of technology and reduce prisoner movements and the associated costs and staffing required.
The interim report of the Video-conferencing Cross Agency Working Group (VCWG) said that use of technology increased during the pandemic because of the restrictions imposed, but said that over the summer of 2021 there had been an increase in demand for prisoner escorts to and from the courts.
“Significantly, the increased demand for physical appearances with return to normality and the requirement for escorts for in-patient prisoners admitted to hospital visits has driven up the demand for prison escorts,” the report said.
The report was finalised by the Department of Justice last December but has only been published now.
The report highlights the demands placed on prison officer and garda resources, with the Irish Prison Service (IPS) having to cut back on services to prisoners or access to health care.
“The underlying reason for the staff shortages lies in the massive increase in staff resources required for escort purposes,” the report said.
“For example, the Prison Escort Service Corps are budgeted/tasked to carry out 11,000 escorts per annum but 36,000 were required in 2020 so management had to draw on prison officers carrying out other duties in the prison to resource the increased number of escort requirements.”
It added: “This pent–up demand for physical appearances in criminal trials threatens to undo some of the gains made with the use of video-link in the last two years.
It said: “AGS recognises the significant benefits of the increased use of video link including: reduced security risks resulting from fewer escorts and reduced numbers of persons in custody in courts.”
Issues and solutions identified in the report include:
*Facilitate electronic service of Books of Evidence (the prosecution file, setting out charge, evidence and witnesses) at District Court to reduce prisoners’ physical attendance in court and to improve court efficiency;
*Increase video-link infrastructure in courts and prisons, including Court 55 (Children’s Court) and the Probation Service;
*Review the legislation obliging people in extradition cases to come before the courts on the first appearance;
*Allowing defendants signing bonds in suspended sentence cases to do so in prison or by video-link, rather than physically in court;
*Encouraging continued use of video link in criminal proceedings;
*Having dedicated ‘alternative’ courts for video-link applications, with each prison having their own time slots;
*Removing the requirement to have a peace commissioner present in a garda station to enter a bond where bail is imposed by a court;
*Allow bench warrants to be executed remotely by video link, saving gardaí “considerable resources”;
*Expand use of video link in Special Criminal Court
*Amend legislation on evidence to include all indictable offences (before jury in higher courts) beyond just violent and sexual offences to include drug offences and cybercrime
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