Using plasma screens in cases involving special measures almost doubles conviction rates, according to research by the Recorder of Liverpool.

In ongoing research on cases at Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Globe has found that conviction rates in cases using special measures - designed to help vulnerable witnesses give evidence - are 'substantially higher' when large plasma screens are used to present remote testimony than when small video units are used.


Though the sample size is small, around 200 cases, the research suggests that the size and quality of the representation of a remote witness in court has a direct impact on the outcome of cases, with the use of plasma screens bringing acquittal rates far closer to that seen in cases where the witness is present.


Judge Globe said: 'There is a perception that you lose the effectiveness of somebody's evidence on a small TV screen. Therefore there are acquittals where there should not be acquittals. This research, still in the early stages... [is] tending to suggest a higher conviction rate when a witness is shown on a larger screen.'


Judge Globe presented his latest findings to the Judicial Advisory Group 2 (JAG2), chaired by Judge Barker, at the end of November. However, JAG2 and the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) declined to release Judge Globe's research because of concerns over the small sample size involved.


Lord Justice Neuberger, the judge in charge of modernisation and a member of JAG2, told the Gazette that, while he has reservations about the size of the sample, the results so far are telling.


'I suspect [the research] is statistically meaningful,' he said. 'But once it looks pretty likely, bearing in mind the figures and common sense, that you get better justice with large screens... it's a complete "no-brainer" that large screens have to be rolled out... as quickly as possible.'


While the DCA has been passed the research, it has 'no plans' to carry out a broader study. A spokesman said: 'The DCA far from dismisses Judge Globe's research, but believes the sample was too small to take forward at this stage.'