NCJ Number
213517
Date Published
2001
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This chapter describes the evolution of British courts' use of information and communications technologies (ICTs), particularly the Internet.
Abstract
In British courts the Internet has been confined mainly to one-way information transfer rather than two-way communications. Still, the courts' limited use of ICTs has increased efficiency and thus cut costs, improved justice and access to justice, increased productivity and so reduced delays, and increased public confidence in the justice system. The Internet has the potential to increase public access to what is happening in the courts and make more accessible to criminal justice professionals the information needed to perform their duties more efficiently and effectively. The lack of an organization responsible for developing and implementing ICTs in the court system has slowed the growth of interagency linkages. This has been somewhat remedied by the establishment of the project entitled Integrating Business and Information Systems in the Criminal Justice System (IBIS). The project draws together the police, prosecution, criminal courts, probation, and prisons authorities and reports to a Ministerial Steering Group composed of representatives of various high-level government departments. The initial principal application of ICTs has been in fraud trials, which has helped to clarify complex financial transactions. A more recent application of ICTs in British courts has been in the screening of juries or vulnerable witnesses through video conferencing or other linkages. There is likely to be an increase in electronic communications with courts, the electronic publication of information, and support for attorneys' ICT equipment in courtrooms and court buildings. The application of ICTs for litigants in court could include the presentation and computer-aided transcription of evidence. This allows for a clear and accurate record that does not require "read-backs" or note-taking. It would provide for searching, indexing, linking, annotating, and analytical procedures not possible with the printed word. 22 notes and 56 references