The current situation where victims have to pay significant sums to receive a transcript of sentencing remarks from the Crown Court is unsustainable. We reiterate our call for all sentencing remarks to be published (subject to the relevant legal restrictions). As a minimum, victims of crime and bereaved families should have ready and free access to sentencing remarks. It should be possible to use voice recording technology to ensure that remarks are recorded at minimal cost. The Victims’ Code...

The current situation where victims have to pay significant sums to receive a transcript of sentencing remarks from the Crown Court is unsustainable. We reiterate our call for all sentencing remarks to be published (subject to the relevant legal restrictions). As a minimum, victims of crime and bereaved families should have ready and free access to sentencing remarks. It should be possible to use voice recording technology to ensure that remarks are recorded at minimal cost. The Victims’ Code should include a right for victims of crime to be provided with the sentencing remarks of the judge without charge. Type: recommendation | Number: 11 | Paragraph: 58 | Response status: partially_accepted Government response: 27. The Ministry of Justice places great importance on the principles of openness and transparency in the criminal justice system, recognising how important it is for victims to be able to engage with criminal proceedings in a way which helps them to recover. Some victims ma