ABSTRACT
This chapter tests the extent to which the ideals have been realised through design. It examines court architecture from the viewpoint of the defendant in a criminal trial. Instances of diminishing facilities for defendants and the history of enclosing defendants’ courtroom docks are central to a story in which it has become more normal for the courts to cater for exceptional risks. Likewise, in 1993 tension arose about who should manage the upkeep and furnishing of the locks in docks and the custody areas, as lacked spaces were jointly managed by the private sector contractors and Her Majesty’s Prison Service. The chapter addresses whether the modern security measures put in place in the areas of the court occupied by the defendant are proportionate to the risk they pose. It explores a range of issues that are of direct and central relevance to considerations of the interface between design, democracy and due process.
