Judges sentencing convicted offenders in high-profile criminal cases in England and Wales, including murders, rapes and other serious offences, will be televised from later this year, the Ministry of Justice has said.

The final stage of crown court trials, when judges deliver sentencing remarks, will be broadcast to enable greater public understanding and scrutiny of courtroom hearings.

The latest advance of cameras into courtrooms follows the routine broadcast of proceedings in the supreme court and of some court of appeal cases.

The opening-up of criminal cases marks a more radical innovation. The initiative, supported by the justice secretary, Robert Buckland QC, and the lord chief justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon, triggered warnings from the Bar Council, which represents barristers. It said that showing only part of a trial could provoke unjustified criticism of judges and degenerate into “spectator sport”.

The crown court (recording and broadcasting) order 2020 is due to be introduced by the government on Thursday. It will allow the filming of sentencing remarks from high court and senior circuit judges in some of the most high-profile cases, including those at the Old Bailey.

The public will be able to watch online, but there will be a 10-second delay to live broadcasts to prevent disturbances or protests from being aired. Filming will be restricted to the judge’s sentencing; no other court user, including victims, witnesses, jurors and court staff, will be filmed.

Welcoming the development, the justice secretary said: “This government, alongside the judiciary, is committed to improving public understanding of our justice system, and allowing cameras into the crown court will do just that.

“It will ensure our courts remain open and transparent, and allow people to see justice being delivered to the most serious of offenders.”

The lord chief justice said: “I have pressed for this change since I took office two years ago. The courts are reported by journalists already, but this gives an extra dimension to allow people to see the sentences judges pass on convicted criminals and to understand why they interpret the law and guidelines the way they do in each case.”

The change has to be approved by the justice secretary and lord chief justice. The first crown court broadcasts could be in April or May once legislation is passed.

Caroline Goodwin QC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, welcomed “a carefully managed initiative which should bring greater transparency and a better public understanding of the criminal justice system”.

However, she warned: “Nothing must compromise the interests of justice, the primacy of a fair trial and respecting the interests of vulnerable witnesses, witnesses generally and defendants. Such matters would need extremely sensitive and vigilant consideration if it was ultimately proposed to televise, live or recorded, all proceedings in the crown court on a routine basis.”

The Bar Council of England and Wales expressed stronger reservations. Amanda Pinto QC, its chair, said: “Open justice gives an insight into our justice system and our courts to the public, many of whom will never personally go to court, but who value justice. This initiative will help people understand the realities of our criminal justice system. However, given that it is only the judge’s sentencing remarks that will be televised, the public may well not fully appreciate why a particular sentence has been given without seeing the evidence presented during trial, the mitigating factors, and other relevant information, such as probation reports.

“We must guard against unwarranted attacks on judges where the sentence isn’t popular with the public. ‘Enemies of the People’-type proclamations, where judges have been personally attacked and their independence questioned, simply for doing their job, are completely unacceptable. Sentencing must not become an armchair spectator sport.”

The main broadcast organisations, which have filmed practice pilots in crown courts, were enthusiastic. John Battle, head of compliance at ITN, said: “This is a landmark moment and an important day for open justice and transparency of our legal system. For the first time the public will see images of proceedings in the crown court on television news.”

Fran Unsworth, director of news and current affairs at the BBC, said: “Today’s announcement comes after a great campaign by the BBC, ITV and Sky to allow filming of judges’ sentencing remarks in the crown court and is a momentous day for transparency in our justice system.”

John Ryley, head of Sky News, said: “This is a further step in helping the public to understand the constraints under which judges work and the complexities of many of the biggest criminal cases.”

Simon Davis, Law Society of England and Wales president, said: “Transparency is an indispensable principle of justice, vital to improving public confidence in our courts. Done sensitively, and with the appropriate reporting restrictions, broadcasting from the courts during some proceedings – such as sentencing – could add significant value and assist in the rule of law being respected.

“Which proceedings are broadcast must be always be considered carefully. It is important to avoid putting the fairness of trials at risk – or to create undue stress for defendants, witnesses, and victims alike.”

The Courts & Tribunals Service, part of the Ministry of Justice, will retain copyright of the footage and have access to all recordings.