In our last article we talked about the importance of following the right set of priorities in the process of transforming court proceedings. To prioritize digital transformation in court, one must also keep an eye on emerging technologies. That’s why justice CIOs should be able to identify the technologies that have the potential to improve the digital experience of the court users. A full court management software solution would allow to stay in the future and not get behind the emerging technologies.
Making the connection between technology and priorities
When making the connection between technology and priorities, a few questions must be answered:
- How technology can make access to justice equally easy for all court users?
- How can a paperless court management system be created?
- What new technologies can be used to transform existing court procedures?
If the priorities are followed with up-to-date technologies, then the destination – sophisticated and functional digital future – will be reachable.
Transforming courts into digital end-to-end
When we talk about digital court technology, we usually mean technologies that will transform court services into digital end-to-end, make them personalized to the users, with relevant self-service options, accessible from anywhere (even from outside the court room).
Related: Solving the problems of 5 users perspectives in the court room
Just as court proceedings involve a diversity of court users, the full court management transformation involves a diverse set of technologies. Whether we’re at the initial stage of defining a digital court transformation strategy or we try to keep up with the emerging technologies, we should always know where we have to start from when we implement new technology.
Digital court file management – first steps
Easing the access to justice starts with the digitalisation of form submissions. This transformation can basically allow access by all court users to services such as online document submission, downloading records, transcripts or other court information. The question is what actions are going to deliver a fully digital court file solution? The roadmap to digital transformation should keep a focus on technologies such as digital court case management, eFilling court service, evidence management solutions, etc.
Digital court system with self-service options
Having a self-service kiosk in the courthouse or a self-submission portal available 24/7 is a big benefit for the public. The big challenge of delivering such an experience is in the securing of the online access. Fortunately, technologies such as blockchain are enabling the authentication and verification of court users and content. The roadmap to digital transfromation in justice must include actions that will enable the public to access court services online from anywhere,
Digital court rooms
If we ask a class of first-graders to describe a court room from the future, their input might turn into a valid point for defining the technology set needed for a digital court room.
- Video screens in every court room
- Access to internet and cloud infrastructure so that everyone can appear in the court room remotely
- Court management tool to access information
- Data analytics available to judges, administrators and other court participants
- Wireless connectivity between digital court rooms
The list of requirements for such transformation includes: video displays, audio systems, wireless connection, video conference court system, etc. The use of full court management software solution will enable the system to deliver functional services for everyone involved in the justice matters.
Remote testimony and remote court appearances
The remote court appearance can be easily included in the portfolio of digital court services. But that doesn’t mean that everyone will have equal access to this service. This why the implementation of remote appearances technology must address the needs of all groups. They must have the options to appear online through their home. If they don’t have the necessary devices at hand – court service-managed endpoints or other web-based solutions are good alternative.
Court room scheduling software
To inform all of the participants in a court matter for their schedules on time is crucial for the efficient use of resources. Any errors in this process can make the delivery of justice slower and more expensive than it should be. That’s why the transformation of the justice sector must be realized with a full court management software that includes application such as online court scheduling and court administration.
Full digital court scheduling solution can eliminate errors such as sending a court participant in the wrong room or other scheduling conflicts. At the end of the day, such solution will transform court proceedings to be more efficient and participants to be more prepared.
Summary
How do we make sure that we do not miss any valuable actions in our roadmap to court digital transformation? This is where the contributions and insight from collaborators in the justice sector are needed the most. Digitalizing the court system requires constant research of the emerging technologies and using them for the needs of the court users. With the right priorities in motion, the digital transfromatio in the court system will be inevitably achieved.
