Two Scottish courts are to begin using a prototype of a virtual reality (VR) system to prepare victims and witnesses familiarise themselves with the buildings in advance of giving evidence.
Glasgow Sheriff Court and the High Court in the city are to use the technology in advance of a wider roll out over the next year.
The project has been developed by a partnership between Victim Support Scotland (VSS), technology provider Immersonal and the national public sector innovation accelerator CivTech, and is supported by a £500,000 investment by CivTech and the Scottish Government.
It will enable people to use VR headsets in a virtual walk through of the court buildings, including depictions of people and objects they can expect to encounter. This is aimed at helping to allay any fears or discomfort around the process and removing the need to travel to the court prior to their hearing dates.
Daunting prospect
Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs Angela Constance said: “Victims and witnesses can naturally find giving evidence a daunting prospect. This unique project, using innovative technology to support and prepare victims for attending court, could prove transformative.
“It has the potential to reduce anxiety and additional trauma, and also reduces the need to travel often long distances for victims to familiarise themselves with a new environment before experiencing it in real life. We hope that this will reduce retraumatisation and anxiety, supporting victims to give the highest quality evidence.”
VSS chief executive Kate Wallace said: “Victim Support Scotland strongly advocates for victims being able to give evidence remotely and in trauma-informed environments.
“This virtual reality experience will provide just that and can be accessed through a headset available with the help of volunteers from Victim Support Scotland, as well as through laptops, smartphones and tablets thereby offering more choice and access about how to prepare for court at a time and place that suits the victim.”
