Criminal Justice Reform Projects
Bail Reform Project
A 2006 review of bail statistics by the Provincial Court of British Columbia found in almost 40,000 of the approximately 107,000 bail appearances no bail order was made. To make the best use of court resources, the review recommended bail hearings proceed independently of regular court hearings.
The bail reform project aims to make bail hearings more effective and allow them to be heard independently of scheduled trials. The project is expected to have a number of benefits for the criminal justice system, including:
- providing better information, training and access to advice from Crown counsel for police to assist them in exercising their discretion and advise them regarding release decisions;
- employing video and other technologies to provide earlier and improved access to counsel for the accused and permit bail hearings to proceed without requiring sheriffs to transport the accused to a courthouse;
- ensuring that the case is reviewed by Crown and defence prior to scheduling matters to determine if a hearing is required and if the parties are prepared to proceed; and
- scheduling bail hearings by videoconference with the Justice Centre to reduce the number of bail hearings interrupting scheduled court hearings, thereby reducing delays at court and inconvenience to the accused, counsel, police officers and witnesses.
Pilot projects have been set up in northeastern British Columbia, in the communities of Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and Fort Nelson. Pilot projects have also been set up in the Lower Mainland, in Surrey and Delta.
The project is a collaborative effort involving all participants in the criminal justice system: Crown, defence bar, judicial justices of the peace, court services, RCMP, corrections, victim services, Public Prosecution Service of Canada, Legal Services Society and the office of the chief judge are involved in the project. It is co-sponsored by the Criminal Justice Reform Secretariat and the Provincial Court.
The pilots will be evaluated by an independent consulting team with expertise in justice system reforms.
Videoconferencing Technology
Click on the thumbnail images to view larger photographs of the videoconferencing technology pictures below.
