Remote participation

The Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation funded our Centre's Remote Participation in Criminal Proceedings project.

Project overview

Led by Judge John Walker, this new research project will examine when and how remote participation should be used in criminal court proceedings to support fairer and more effective justice processes.

This interdisciplinary empirical project will examine the use of remote participation in Aotearoa New Zealand courts, to provide an evidence base on when and how remote participation should be utilised, including its impacts on timeliness and fair process in proceedings.

It will focus initially on remote participation of defendants in criminal proceedings and seeks to fill gaps in current evidence regarding the identification of and effects on:

• neurodivergent defendants
• those with mental health needs
• defendants with intellectual disability.

The project will also examine:

• the effects of remote participation on victims
• the experience of Māori and Pasifika defendants
• the impact on those in custody, including how to achieve the transition from the custodial setting to the courtroom setting for those appearing by audio-visual link.

We anticipate that the project findings will allow government and the courts to make evidence-based decisions regarding the scope of remote participation. This will allow informed decision-making regarding which types of proceedings, rights protections, and procedures are necessary and desirable now and in the coming years.