The project on which this paper is grounded is the first in-depth empirical study
of the impacts of COVID-19 on each stage of the English and Welsh Youth Justice
System. We take the notion of a child's right to a fair trial as the lens by
which we detail the findings from our research. The paper documents the
experiences of professionals working in the courts and children who had contact
with the courts during the pandemic. While we concentrate on processes in
England and Wales as an exemplar of the impact of COVID-19, recognising that
globally, courts were experiencing similar challenges, initiates a discourse
about how to re-envision their role in wider criminal justice systems in a
COVID-19 world. Our research demonstrates an urgent need for renewed
consideration of what support children need to effectively participate in court,
and where and how children's cases should be heard. The pandemic demonstrated
that creativity is possible and creates a timely opportunity to review the
evidence and think more radically about a welfare-based, trauma-informed court
process for children.