LONDON — High-profile criminal cases in English and Welsh courts will be partially televised for the first time, the British Ministry of Justice said on Thursday, in a move that was welcomed by broadcasters but that drew caution from lawyers’ organizations.

The change is a limited one. Cameras will be present to record only judges’ sentencing remarks in crown courts, which handle more serious criminal offenses, including the Old Bailey, the main criminal court in London. Defendants, jurors, lawyers, victims and witnesses will remain strictly out of shot.

But it still represents a drastic cultural shift for English and Welsh criminal courts, which for decades have banned not only filming and still photography but even the making of sketches — leading British news outlets to rely on artists working from memory.

Sentences in murder, terrorism and sexual offenses, among other serious crimes, would be available to broadcasters and to the public on a dedicated website, the ministry said in a statement. It added that it would begin the legislative process for the change on Thursday, but that the exact schedule would depend on Parliament.