NCJ Number
218034
Date Published
2007
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This chapter provides an overview of courts' use of "hard" technology, defined in this chapter as "technological devices and tangible objects created and used to meet a need."
Abstract
Samples of "hard" technology are computers, video conferencing cameras, and lab facilities. Until recently, the hard technologies used by courts have been "low-tech," such as typewriters and word processors used for document preparation, photographic enlargements used for the presentation of evidence or summation of data, or pencils and paper for a jury's trial notebooks. In the late 1960s, the Federal Judicial Center and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts ushered hard technology into the Federal courts. This involved establishing early versions of electronic docketing and case-management systems. New types of hard technology continue to be introduced, integrated, and evaluated in Federal courts. The reception of hard technology is currently being tested in courts across the Nation. Overall, the reception has been favorable. Hard technology enables the storing and transporting of information, which frees courts from having to have all parties in a case in the same location for viewing, reviewing, analyzing, and/or using information relevant to a proceeding. As the changes spawned by hard technology in the courts become more pervasive, their impact on courts' efficiency and effectiveness will be researched, along with the impact of these technologies on the constitutional rights of those processed under such technologies. Sections of this chapter address the specific uses of hard technologies in court pretrial proceedings and trial preparation, in multijurisdictional and multicourt hearings, during jury deliberations, and to improve the safety of court personnel and participants. Separate sections focus on the uses of hard technology in specialized courts, specifically drug courts and multijurisdictional courts. 39 references