Witness Walkthrough Text Version

Witnesses of crime play a vital role in the criminal justice system. They can help police to solve crime and can help to ensure that proper justice is served. For many witnesses, however, the justice process can appear daunting; they can feel anxious and worried about having to make a statement, or having to go to court to give evidence. Some witnesses are particularly concerned about what is expected of them; what they should say, how they should say it and whether or not what they do say really can make a difference. Witnesses, can also involve being the actual victim of the crime, and although there will be commonalities in terms of process, there will be differing levels and stages at which information and support is provided to them. If you are a victim of crime, you may find it helpful to visit the victims' walkthrough (which can be found in the victims section of the CJSNI website).

This tour aims to guide any witness of crime through the criminal justice process, step by step. It sets out what a witness will encounter from the point they report what they saw to police, to the court process itself, and it tries to address the common concerns they may have. It provides key information on the witness role at each stage of the process and valuable information on the personal support that is available to them. It aims to make the criminal justice process a bit easier to understand and gives some idea of what witnesses can realistically expect to happen. The procedures fully describe the role of all witnesses of crime i.e. whether you are a witness for the prosecution case or for the defence case.

Our aim has been to make the process as clear as possible, but there may be certain terms and legal language that you do not understand. Most of these are explained more fully in the glossary section (see menu).

There are also hyperlinks indicated throughout the tour which when clicked upon, will lead to further sources of information. This includes contact details for relevant organisations where you will be able to obtain further information, advice and support.

We hope you find this virtual tour useful. Please help us to continue to meet the needs of witnesses by completing the feedback form provided, when you have completed the tour.