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Anybody been to court in this heatwave?
Anyone felt the cold blast of AC or cool breezes blowing in?
No? In cell blocks or con rooms let alone courtroom.
No?
Then ask why a juror, court user, court staff incl judiciary or member of public, wd want to breathe that in for hours?
Anyone felt the cold blast of AC or cool breezes blowing in?
No? In cell blocks or con rooms let alone courtroom.
No?
Then ask why a juror, court user, court staff incl judiciary or member of public, wd want to breathe that in for hours?
Social distancing is based upon transitory exposure. No good in enclosed premises with projected voices. It’s almost certainly why theatres not open but cinemas are.
We’ve all been so focused on getting trials going that we haven’t observed human behaviour on landings, in con rooms, cells, going through security. People don’t seem to understand 2m SD let alone 1m. Corridors, jury retiring rooms and all the backstage workings.
Resident judges and local HMCTS managers have been left with the headache of being told they must do these things but hamstrung by a lack of resources and the physical architecture of their broken court centres.
Now add into the mix that many criminal courts are also at combined court centres which have family & civil court users as well. We all know the battle to secure con rooms on CAFCASS days. And resident judges are being told “they aren’t inventive enough “.
Well try juggling all of that all because MOJ/HMCTS aren’t actually prepared to fund other locations or just find it properly. Instead they are all meant to make do with black & yellow tape and some stickers on the carpet.
Lack of investment in the creaking court estate is coming home to roost now. At the worst possible time imaginable.
