Maya Dhillon
Rape and sexual assault survivors in Scotland will be the first in the UK to have free access to court transcripts as part of a new pilot scheme.
The Scottish government is providing £100,000 in funding towards the year-long project, which commenced on 1st March.
It will allow all survivors in sexual assault trials to access their court transcripts free of charge, regardless of the verdict.
Anyone whose case was heard at High Court from 2007 onwards — when digital recording began in Scottish courts — can take part in the pilot scheme.
What Is The Usual Process For Transcripts?
Victims of any crime can request a transcript from their case.
The costs involved in obtaining a copy are calculated by the length of the audio that has to be transcribed and the fee paid to the transcriber.
In the UK, transcriptions are generally outsourced to external companies by the court. This means that prices can also vary depending on who is transcribing.
Transcription costs at the six government-contracted firms vary from 80p per 72 words, to £1.71, for a 12-working-day transcription. As a result, sexual assault survivor Juliana Terlizzi was quoted nearly £7,500 for transcription after trial.
Free transcription copies are usually only given in exceptional cases such as murder and manslaughter.
Terlizzi’s request for a free copy of her transcript was rejected.
Why Are Rape And Assault Survivors Being Offered The Pilot Scheme?
In many cases of sexual assault, survivors will not attend trial or will only be present to give their testimony.
This may be because they do not want to face the alleged perpetrator or because they have been advised not to by their legal team.
Therefore, without a transcript, they may be unable to understand why a verdict has been reached.
Terlizzi’s therapist suggested that accessing her transcripts may help her to heal and move on from her rape. However, she was unable to afford the costs of transcription.
The Scottish government said that they hope the pilot scheme will “’improve victims’ experience of the justice system.”
Will This Happen In The Rest Of The UK?
Survivors of sexual assault and rape in England, Wales and Northern Ireland hope that the Scottish pilot scheme will encourage their respective governments to follow suit.
Terlizzi is working with her local MP, Sarah Olney, to campaign for similar support in England.
I am glad to see progress being made on this issue in Scotland. Yet shockingly, the U.K. Government is still refusing to match this commitment.
I therefore reiterated my call for them to do so today in Parliament.
It is time that victims got the justice they deserve. https://t.co/e6u11No7Pn pic.twitter.com/bfIrbm1t98
— Sarah Olney (@sarahjolney1) February 29, 2024
Campaigners at Open Justice For All are encouraging members of the public to write to their own MPs and help get this right extended in England and Wales.
They noted that the Scottish government’s scheme marked “huge progress. However, we’ve still a long way to go until UK Parliament follows suit.”
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Featured image courtesy of wp paarz via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
Maya Dhillon
Maya graduated from the University of Oxford in June 2022, with a degree in Spanish and Linguistics. She is currently getting her NCTJ qualification at News Associates.