Knife crime: Police guarantee anonymity to Ben Kinsella murder witnesses / Guardian, 3 July 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/03/knifecrime.ukcrime?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews
Jo Adetunji
"Police investigating the murder of the London teenager Ben Kinsella appealed for witnesses yesterday and offered guarantees of anonymity to anyone afraid to testify. Detective Chief Inspector John Macdonald, who is heading the inquiry into the stabbing of the 16-year-old outside a north London nightclub early on Sunday, was keen to assure anyone who might be worried by a recent House of Lords ruling on the use of anonymous testimony in trials."

Secret identities were chief weapon in fight against gun gangs / Times, 25 June 2008
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article4207777.ece
Richard Ford and Sean O’Neill
"Fifteen hundred people have been moved to safe houses in the past three years as part of a national service to protect witnesses facing intimidation, according to latest government figures. The numbers reflect a problem that has been growing in recent years as increasing numbers of criminals resort to threats against witnesses in an attempt to escape justice. A national witness mobility service has rehoused witnesses and their families safely in about 500 cases, involving 1,500 people, since 2005. The need for such a service is highlighted by figures suggesting that a third of vulnerable witnesses would have been unwilling to give their testimony without special measures, such as video links or screens to obscure them from the defendant, being in place."

Consultation on the use of intermediaries for vulnerable witnesses in Scotland / Scottish Parliament, 15 October 2007
PDF - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/199803/0053369.pdf

Are old witnesses always poorer witnesses? Identification accuracy, context reinstatement, own-age bias
Psychology, Crime & Law, Volume 13, Issue 3 June 2007 , pages 305 - 316
http://digbig.com/4tfjd
Rachel A. Wilcock; Ray Bull; Aldert Vrij
"It was concluded that given certain circumstances it may be possible for old adults to perform at an equivalent level to young adults."
[Sub required]

The Perceived credibility of older adults as witnesses and its relation to ageism
Behavioral Sciences & the Law, Volume 25, Issue 3, Pages 355 - 375 Special Issue: Elder Issues
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/114262621/ABSTRACT
Katrin Mueller-Johnson, Michael P. Toglia, Charlotte D. Sweeney, Stephen J. Ceci
"This experiment is the first to show a link between perceived credibility of older adults and ageist attitudes. Practical applications regarding how older witnesses are viewed by jurors, and the criminal justice system more generally, are discussed."
[Sub required]

What makes a good investigative interviewer of children?: A comparison of police officers' and experts' perceptions
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 2007, Volume: 30 Issue: 1 Page: 21 - 31
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/13639510710725604
Rebecca Wright, Martine B. Powell
"The purpose of this paper is to examine police officers' perceptions about their role in interviewing children, and to compare these perceptions with those of child eyewitness memory experts."
[Sub required]

Improving the Criminal Trial process for Young Witnesses: a consultation paper / Office for Criminal Justice Reform, 22 June 2007
PDF - http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/cjr-consult-young-witnesses.pdf

A Voice is given to vulnerable witnesses / Ministry of Justice, 12 June 2007
http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease120607b.htm
"A scheme assisting vulnerable witnesses to access the criminal justice process will be rolled out nationally."

Confidence and confidentiality: Openness in family courts a new approach / Ministry of Justice, 20 June 2007
PDF - http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/consult-family-courts.pdf
Cm 7131
"This is the second consultation on improving openness in family courts. This paper sets out what is being taken forward from the last consultation, and seeks views on new proposals to improve the openness in family courts."
Closing date for consultation: 1 October 2007

Restorative Justice: the views of victims and offenders the third report from the evaluation of three schemes / Ministry of Justice, 19 June 2007
PDF - http://www.justice.gov.uk/Restorative-Justice.pdf
Ministry of Justice Series 3/07
Joanna Shapland, Anne Atkinson, Helen Atkinson et al
Centre for Criminological Research, University of Sheffield

Evaluation of young witness support: examining the impact on witnesses and the criminal justice system / Ministry of Justice, 12 June 2007
PDF - http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/MoJresearchSummary2Mk2.pdf
Joyce Plotnikoff and Richard Woolfson

The 'Go-Between': evaluation of intermediary pathfinder projects / Ministry of Justice, 12 June 2007
PDF - http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/MoJResearchSummary1Mk2.pdf
Joyce Plotnikoff and Richard Woolfson

[USA] SNITCHES GET STITCHES: youth, gangs, and witness intimidation in Massachusetts / National Center for Victims of Crime, May 2007
PDF - http://digbig.com/4swxc
Julie L. Whitman ; Robert C. Davis
"The problem of witness intimidation has plagued the United States criminal justice system for at least half a century. This study aimed to increase knowledge and understanding of (a) the critical factors that deter youth witnesses from reporting gang crimes and testifying against perpetrators, and (b) the kinds of policies and programs that can encourage victim and witness cooperation. In particular, this project sought to gather data about factors that influence youths’ decisions to cooperate in the criminal justice process and the extent and nature of intimidation in their communities after crimes occur."

Database helps make court appearances less of a trial
Jane's Police Review, 28 March 2007
http://jpr.janes.com
"WITNESSES could be protected from barristers they find intimidating in court, thanks to an award-winning database." [Sub required]

[Australia] Underworld informer loses protection / The Australian Gotcha Blog, 17 March 2007
http://digbig.com/4rxpy
Gary Hughes
"The Melbourne underworld informer known only as 166 has failed in his latest bid to stay in the witness protection program and has immediately lost his 24 hour police guard. Victorian Supreme Court judge Justice Bill Gillard ruled on Friday that the process used to terminate 166 and his partner from the program was legal and carried out according to legislation. He pointed out that because of limits to the court’s jurisdiction over witness protection laws he didn’t have the power to rule whether the decision to terminate 166 was correct or not."

24-hour Croydon witness support scheme launched / 24Dash, 21 Feb 2007
http://www.24dash.com/localgovernment/16886.htm
Ian Morgan
"24-hour Croydon witnesssupport scheme launched. Croydon residents who take a stand against serious and persistent antisocial behaviour in their community are to be supported by a unique new scheme being launched by the council. The Witness Support Service will offer assistance to those who agree to give evidence in civil cases, such as an Anti Social Behaviour Order (Asbo). It is the first scheme of its kind to offer instant, round the clock support to witnesses."

Guide to questioning children during the free-narrative phase of an investigative interview
Australian Psychologist, Volume 42, Issue 1, p. 57 -65
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=g769897618
Martine B. Powell & Pamela C. Snow
"The inability of professionals to maintain the use of open-ended questions in the free-narrative phase of investigative interviews with children has been a major problem around the globe. The current paper addresses this concern by describing the key principles underlying the elicitation of free-narrative accounts and practical suggestions for formulating questions." [Sub Required]

Twilight life / The Australian, 8 Feb 2007
http://digbig.com/4rgmr
Gary Hughes
"Creating a new identity for a protected witness is complicated, costly and laced with danger."

Vulnerable and intimidated witnesses and the adversarial process in England and Wales

International Journal of Evidence and Proof, Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Cover date: December 2006, Page(s): 1-23
http://digbig.com/4qpeq
Mandy Burton, Roger Evans, Andrew Sanders
"This article presents findings from recent Home Office-funded empirical research into the implementation of special measures for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses by the criminal justice agencies in England and Wales. By examining how far the criminal justice agencies have gone towards implementing special measures, and practitioners' views on the effectiveness of various measures, we shed light on the extent to which the implementation of special measures has mitigated the disadvantageous effects of the adversarial process and suggest further steps that might be taken to address the problems vulnerable and intimidated witnesses experience." [Sub required]