This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Witness Service expands to High Courts
28/07/2003
From today victims, witnesses and their families who
give evidence in Scotland's High Courts will benefit from
the support provided by the Witness Service.
The Witness Service currently provides practical
information and emotional support to witnesses when they
are called to the sheriff court, helping them to cope with
unfamiliar surroundings and is crucial in helping them to
give evidence.
Last year, 32 staff and 300 volunteers supported 46,000
witnesses in sheriff courts. Eleven paid staff and 58 new
volunteers will deliver the High Court service where the
most serious and violent crimes are heard.
Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry praised the work of
the staff and volunteers already providing support in the
sheriff courts and highlighted an evaluation of that
service, published today, which confirms the Service is
providing what witnesses need - contact, support, and
practical information.
Mr Henry said:
"Most witnesses are anxious about going to court - about
the court layout, the procedure and etiquette, and about
what they will be expected - or allowed - to say.
"Given the vital role that witnesses play, we must do
all that we can to improve their experience of the criminal
justice process. In this respect, the Witness Service has
provided valuable support to thousands of witnesses and
victims in our sheriff courts.
"Today we have fulfilled a key commitment of the
Partnership Agreement by extending this service to our High
Courts.
"Many witnesses are also victims who may not have faced
the accused since the original incident. That can be a
frightening and traumatic experience. This is obviously
magnified in the High Court where cases involving the most
serious and violent crimes are heard.
"Providing these victims with the support they need to
give their best evidence, when they are feeling at their
most vulnerable, is vital to the effective running of our
criminal justice system.
"The evaluation of the Sheriff Court Witness Service
confirms both the value of the Service to witnesses, and
that the extension to our High Courts is logical and
necessary. It also highlights the positive relationship the
Service has with the other agencies within the justice
system - the police, social work, Crown Office.
"It is essential that Witness Service staff and
volunteers are themselves given the necessary training,
supervision and support they need to be able to meet the
needs of witnesses. Much has been done by Victim Support
Scotland over the last months to ensure that the new staff
and volunteers are ready to provide High Court support.
"The Witness Service is a key achievement within a raft
of measures designed to deliver a modern and efficient
criminal justice system, designed around the needs of the
law-abiding many, and not the law-breaking few. I would
like to thank Victim Support Scotland for its work in
managing the Sheriff Court Witness Service and developing
the High Court Service."
David McKenna, Chief Executive Victim Support Scotland
(VSS), said:
"The establishment of High Court Witness Service will
transform the experience of victims and witnesses attending
court. Care and support will now be available to those in
the most serious cases. It is a significant milestone in
the provision of care and support to victims in
Scotland."
The Witness Service was first piloted in 1996 in 3
sheriff courts - Ayr, Hamilton and Kirkcaldy. It was
subsequently rolled out to all 49 sheriff courts in
Scotland. This programme was completed in August 2002.
The Service is managed by VSS and is fully funded by the
Executive. In 2003-04, this funding totals £1.2 million for
the Sheriff Court Witness Service and the roll-out of the
service to High Courts.
In the year to April 2002 service users made over 31,000
contacts with the Witness Service. In the year to March 31,
2003, this increased to just under 56,000 (by 80%).
The evaluation of the Sheriff Court Witness Service was
conducted by Lancaster University. It evaluated six sample
courts - Alloa, Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Kirkcaldy, Linlithgow
and Oban between November 2002 and February 2003.
The launch of the High Court Witness Service is just one
of a number of Executive initiatives designed to improve
the support for and experience of witnesses.
Other recent initiates include the launch of the
White Paper on High Court reform and the introduction
of the
Vulnerable Witnesses Bill.