Crown Courts to get 32 million technology injection

A 32 million injection into the Crown Courts to speed-up justice, improve efficiency and give witnesses, jurors and victims better treatment was today announced by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine.The money will be used to introduce computer systems into the Crown Courts that will present evidence electronically, replace analogue audio recording with digital to increase quality, and provide a general framework for on-line organisation of cases.The injection will contribute to a pilot scheme for 10 courts, and it is hoped that with future investment the scheme will widen to encompass the whole of England and Wales.

Delivery of the services should start from January next year, said the Lord Chancellor.Ian McGee, the head of the Court Service, said running a Crown Court for one day cost the state 8,800; a figure excluding the costs of counsel and solicitors for either party.Pilot schemes have shown that the new technology saves up to 20% of time and would therefore eventually lead to massive costs savings, he added.

Jeremy Fleming