Virtual courts prove costly, concludes MoJ

In a report on the project , the MoJ says a roll out of virtual courts across London, based on the model used during the pilot, would cost more than it would save over a 10 year period. "The technology costs borne by the pilot were high and broadening the use of the technology might improve the economic case for its installation," says the document. The 12 month virtual court pilot ran from May 2009 in two magistrates' courts in London and North Kent, covering 15 police stations in London and one in North Kent. It demonstrated that in most cases a video link between a police station and a court could be used successfully to conduct an initial hearing. The technology helped to extend court hours and it could be used to in other parts of the criminal justice system, such as with witnesses and victims. The costs of technology for the pilot was high, however. Over a four month period the pilot saved £23,000 on prisoner transportation; £33,000 on police time to pursue defendants who failed to appear at their first hearing; and £94,000 on custody costs. But the set up costs were £1.8m and running costs, evaluated over the same four months in London, were £382,000. Otherwise, the evaluation found both benefits and drawbacks. The pilot had significantly reduced the average time from charge to first hearing, in particular through the use of electronic file sharing and the removal of the need for defendants to travel to court. But people involved in the pilot reported that time delays in audio links were common in courtrooms. Although these delays were only a second or less, they were sufficient to cause individuals to repeat themselves on several occasions, and for people on opposite ends of the link to speak over one another. It also caused communication problems when a defendant had language difficulties, or where an interpreter was being used. The report concludes: "Generating significant savings through a future roll out of the virtual court concept may require higher case and hearing volumes, as well as a reduction in delivery costs. "Cost savings are greatest for custody cases where transport and cell costs are reduced. However, transport savings may not be retained at this level when service contracts are next renegotiated." A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the department had not yet decided whether to continue with virtual courts.