Remote Vulnerable Defendants
摘要
This chapter draws on the interview and survey data to highlight the advantages and challenges for vulnerable defendants using videoconferencing for remote legal conferences and court appearances. The thematic analysis of the qualitative dataset reveals benefits in terms of convenience and efficiencies for vulnerable defendants, defence lawyers and courts. However, significant challenges arise in the interplay of vulnerable defendants and communication technologies including compromised lawyer-client conferencing and confidentiality, as well as disadvantages in connection, communication, participation, engagement and comprehension. In this context, digital communication technologies can be conceptualised as techniques of intensification, diminishing resilience and compounding vulnerabilities.