A couple of weeks ago, very unusually, we had a really quiet day in the remand court.
There was no-one in the cells, which is virtually unheard of - even in one of the more quiet backwaters of the English criminal justice system.
Of course being the remand court, we had to hang around for most of the day just in case the police lifted someone on warrant and presented them later on.
There were a couple of GAP cases we were able to help with from the courtroom next door, but by 3 pm it was apparent that there would be no remand arrivals.
One of my newer colleagues asked: "Do you think we could have a walk around to see how everything works?" It was a good suggestion and I was pretty interested too, so we asked the Legal Advisor if he could sort something out for us.
For the next hour or so we explored the building from top to bottom, visiting all those public areas we would never normally go to as well as having a good nosey around behind the scenes.
We began by visiting the OCS security staff at the public entrance to the building, who cheerily recounted some of their more memorable interactions and confiscations. As this is a family-friendly publication, I shan't elaborate any further.
After that it was a stroll through the admin office, which has work space for maybe a dozen but there were only a couple of admin staff busily typing away. The large office space is a throwback to times when the court building was much busier - nowadays we have two courts running on a busy day; five years ago it was three or four courts running every day.
On the flip side was the probation office, which had the opposite problem to the admin office being very poky and very busy. There was space for two people to work comfortably, but there were four probation staff in there bumping elbows with each other. The shape and layout of the room wasn't conducive to comfortable working either - think train buffet car and you'll not be too far off the mark.
At the front of the court is an enquiry counter, although it hasn't been used for more than a decade. Back in the day virtually every court building had an enquiry counter and a member of staff allocated to that specific role. Nowadays the counters are almost a thing of the past, being confined to only the busiest of multi-jurisdictional court hubs.
At this particular court the public seating area is in good condition. It is a bit faded and worn with age but has none of the graffiti you see in other places. There is seating for around 30, which is again a throwback to busier times.
Set back from the main public seating area is a cafe with additional seating, vending machines and a fully-fitted kitchen. You used to be able to get a proper mug of builders tea and chunky bacon sandwich for only a couple of quid, but now the facility stands empty and unloved. Fortunately there's a Greggs just across the road.
To the witness suite now. Suite is rather a grand term for what is effectively a dark, dingy and damp cupboard with hard wooden chairs, an old cathode-ray tube TV and some videolink equipment. Witnesses granted special measures give their evidence remotely from this room.
Finally, down into the dungeon to the cells. Walking down the steps, I was hit by the same clinical smell that I was hit by when I last visited a prison - the smell of cleaning chemicals, designed to mask the aroma of other less desirable things.
Looking after the ten empty cells were three GEOAmey custody officers. GEOAmey holds the Ministry of Justice prisoner escort and custody services (PECS) contract for most of England and Wales. Serco holds the PECS contract for London and the south east of England.
It is the PECS contractor's job to transport people in custody between the police station, court and prison. They are also responsible for the welfare and security of those held in custody during transportation and in court.
I have to say that I hold the GEOAmey staff in very high regard, as I do everyone else who works in our courts. On many occasions I have seen them offering reassurance, consolation and tissues to distressed defendants. I have seen them expertly diffuse tense situations where tempers were frayed. Not once have I seen them have to restrain a defendant, although I do not doubt their proficiency if the need arose.
We have ten cells and it has to be said that they were all very clean and functional, which was no doubt aided by their limited use on the day in question. The doors were all open and the bolts locked out, so that they couldn't be accidentally (or intentionally) closed on a member of staff who entered.
Each cell had a blackboard seated into the wall and chalk, which I think is an ingenious idea for keeping prisoners entertained as they await their hearing. Whilst they're busy doodling away, they're distracted from causing damage elsewhere. There is also a selection of light reading - puzzle books, magazines and the like.
The cells are just holding rooms and they do not have their own toilets or sinks. The toilets are further along the hallway, set off in their own little cubby-holes. There is a male toilet and a female toilet, each made from stainless steel - very much the sort of thing you might find in a public conveniences. The toilets are in cubicles, but the walls are only half-height, so that the head and shoulders of the prisoner remains visible as they sit down to do their business.
We concluded our cell visit by walking up the narrow steps to the secure dock, before being released into the well of the court.
Not your typical day in the remand court, but a thoroughly interesting one nonetheless.
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