This paper presents the findings of a 20
month Economic and Social Research Council
funded study into the public’s experiences of the Crown Court. The aim of the study was
to examine
victims
’
, witnesses
’
and
defendants
’
(court users
’
)
levels of understanding
and perceptions of
the
treatment
they received
at the Crown Court
,
and to assess the
extent to which they regard court processes and outcomes as fair and legitimate. The
study also explored the nature of
the interplay between the different players
–
including
legal professionals and court users
–
in the courtroom. There were three strands to the
research: interviews with criminal justice professionals and practitioners, interviews with
court users and obs
ervations.
A key finding that emerged through the research
was
the
apparent limit of
defendants’
‘effective participation’ at court. This issue is the focus of
the paper
