The world of criminal trials is slowly catching up with the modern era. The Ministry of Justice has announced it will partially overturn a 100-year-old law and allow cameras into English and Welsh courtrooms for the first time. The press will now be able to apply for video footage of a judge passing sentence over convicted defendants. This has been lauded by some (mainly broadcasters) as a landmark moment for judicial transparency. And it is certainly an improvement. But given how murky the system still is, the decision is hardly the ‘radical’ change that some are suggesting.
The public’s understanding of the criminal justice system – the most invasive, coercive arm of the state – is mediated almost entirely by journalists. So attempts to expose the mechanics of banging people up is obviously a good thing. Broadcasting a judge’s complete sentencing remarks will allow us citizens to understand a little better why the scales of justice have tipped in a certain direction.
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