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<p>Prison to Court Video Links (PCVL) allow offenders to appear in court via a live
video link from a room in the prison. Relevant data has been collected from June 2012
following the introduction of the Government’s Transforming Justice agenda and shows
that the number of defendants heard via PCVL were 32,633 from June to December 2012;
53,487 in 2013 and 59,635 so far this year. The data only records the number of instances
in which PCVL was used and does not record the hearing type. Consequently specific
data about the number of sentencing hearings that are held using PCVL is not available.</p><p>
</p><p>The Secretary of State and ministers meet regularly with the senior judiciary
to discuss matters relating to the effective operation of the justice system including
the use of video. The use of video in court – which includes prison to court video
links - is also outlined in the Criminal Procedure Rules. These are drafted by the
Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, which is chaired by the judiciary and involves
practitioners.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure a clear and shared understanding across the
CJS of the policy and criteria around video links, national guidance for Magistrates
and Crown Courts on Prison to Court Video Links has been produced. (This is attached
as an Annex). The criteria that will be used in a case to assess whether it is suitable
will include, amongst other things, whether it is an eligible hearing type, public
protection and risk issues and the welfare of the defendant.</p><p>S57B (6) of the
Crime and Disorder Act 1998 sets out a presumption that in preliminary hearings for
adults, magistrates will utilise video links. However reasons can be given for not
doing so. The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 extended use of prison-court live links
to sentencing hearings and appeals.</p>
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