The Queens Speech included reference to the Crime & Courts Bill which refers to the televising of Court proceedings. We have already seen the start of television in Court in Scotland where sentencing has been televised. However, Courts in England have not followed suit, yet.
The major advantage to televising proceedings is that it may serve to increase public confidence in our criminal justice system but there is the fear that television companies will only concentrate on high profile cases which may lead to selective and sensational reporting. This will lead to increased stress and fear of potential witnesses, victims of crime and defendants. We wait for detailed proposals as to how the government will seek to address these issues.
