Remote Hearings in the Hungarian Prison System

Organisational Efficiency and Procedural Safeguards in Light of Hungarian and International Evidence

Abstract

Introduction: Remote hearings may reduce the need for external prisoner escorts while changing the communication conditions for the defence. Their assessment therefore requires organisational benefits and procedural safeguards to be considered together.

Objectives: The study examines the conditions under which the benefits of remote hearings for prison administration can be reconciled with prisoners’ effective participation in proceedings and proposes an evaluation framework based on these conditions.

Methodology: The study combines normative analysis of Hungarian legislation and relevant European case law with a critical narrative review of Hungarian and international research. Sources are assessed according to their methods, procedural settings and the generalisability of their conclusions.

Results: The analysis distinguishes institutional resource use, the functioning of individual hearings and the practical effectiveness of procedural safeguards. The research reviewed indicates that benefits at these levels do not necessarily coincide. Building on these distinctions, the study develops a framework linking organisational indicators to the conditions for understanding proceedings, speaking, accessing documents and consulting defence counsel confidentially.

Conclusion: Appropriate use of remote hearings requires attention to the circumstances of both the case and the individual, together with the identification and documented handling of barriers to participation. The proposed framework may support evaluation of practice; its use as a measurement instrument requires further empirical research.