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Article Subject: Digital Courts
Does it matter if those accused of crime plead guilty or not guilty?
Just before Christmas news leaked out that the government was getting cold feet about decriminalising… Read more
Links for Annual Theo van Boven Lecture – The Right to a Fair Trial in Times of Crisis (COVID-19). The Effects of Virtual Justice on Procedural Fairness
The Video Enabled Justice report is here . It was authored by Professor Nigel Fielding,… Read more
Remote justice – a view of the pros and cons from an anonymous judge
This week’s guest blog is from an anonymous district judge who sits in civil and… Read more
How much do we value effective participation in justice?
If we really value effective participation in justice should we pause remote hearings involving real… Read more
Online immigration appeals – better, quicker?
The digital court reform programme was trundling along relatively slowly before the pandemic. Discrete jurisdictions… Read more
Is remote justice slowing the system down?
Recently Boris Johnson described zoom calls as a miracle, but that sometimes there is “no… Read more
Are video links causing the criminal justice system to slow down?
Recently Boris Johnson described zoom calls as a miracle, but that sometimes there is “no… Read more
Links for seminar
The EHRC report is here (the interim report is the one particular focussed on virtual)… Read more
Links for seminar on remote criminal justice
The EHRC report is here (the interim report is the one particular focussed on virtual)… Read more
Does virtual justice increase discrimination?
I have been observing courts in the pandemic. One day at Highbury Magistrates’ Court a… Read more
The wheels of justice are turning but at what cost?
This week the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland spoke about parliamentary business and the constraints of… Read more
Defendants on video can feel like caged animals
In pre-Covid times the government was trying to get digital court reform going. The PCC… Read more
Can we access video-enabled justice?
The history of video court hearings in this country goes back quite a long way… Read more
Trial by skype : uncharted waters
Before Boris Johnson went into hospital, he, his staff and his cabinet were meeting via… Read more
Is closed justice a price worth paying to keep courts running?
The proponents of digital justice have had a field day since the courts went on… Read more
Reducing detention in police custody – time for radical solutions
Transform Justice has been working for the last year on the over-use of police custody… Read more
Why snail mail leads to no bail
More and more defendants are charged or asked to attend court by post. Most crimes… Read more
Should we be imprisoning people for forgetting to turn up to court?
If you go into any magistrates court you will notice that cases often don’t go… Read more
Digital court reform: the risks of user testing
This week Bob Neill MP, Chair of the Justice Committee launched their report on the… Read more
The demise of local justice?
What price local justice? Unfortunately no one has been able to identify and quantify the… Read more
The right to know you are accused of a crime
Everyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to be informed promptly, in a… Read more
Police want to fight crime not run courts
I do not find the role of Cassandra particularly pleasant but every time there’s new criticism of… Read more
Police want to fight crime, not operate courts
I do not find the role of Cassandra particularly pleasant but every time there’s new criticism… Read more
Court reform – how fit for the future?
Normal government convention seems to have gone out of the window. In the old days… Read more
The secret room – who is listening to what in digital courts?
When lawyers have previously expressed their concerns about the confidentiality of video links, I’ve not… Read more
Do people prefer doing justice online?
Do people want to do justice online? The government says they do and, in some… Read more
Court hearings on demand – a triumph for openness or an invasion of privacy?
The other day the senior judiciary published the actions they’d agreed as a result of… Read more
Bedtime reading list on digital court reform and court closures
Many of you are preparing to respond to the Justice Committee’s inquiry on courts… Read more
Opening Pandora’s Box? Consulting judges on court reform
The public are used to consultations which seem to be tick box exercises. Every consultation… Read more
£35 million plus on digital court reform consultants in eight months
“It really is not reasonable to expect court staff, judges or court users to attend… Read more
How new technology can both consume and save time: lessons for digital court reform?
“A shambolic day for youth justice at Bromley YC. Still sitting, still waiting for 3… Read more
David and Goliath or cat and mouse? Prising information on digital court reform out of the Ministry of Justice
I must be the bane of the Ministry of Justice with my endless FOIs (freedom… Read more
Mice, broken lifts and buckets – the state of courts in England and Wales
Once upon a time there were lots of courts up and down the country and… Read more
Why is the justice system so starved of resources?
The timing of Justice Week was unfortunate given it started with the Chancellor announcing a… Read more
“I could see they believed me” – the importance of feeling listened to in court
I feel overwhelmed with a cornucopia of information. I regularly submit FOIs to the courts… Read more
I fear there is no magic money tree for justice, so the only solution is to shrink the system
“Mags Ct today in chaos. 2 duty solicitors unable to cope because almost none… Read more
Computer says no bail – does AI reduce or increase human bias?
Does artificial intelligence (AI) – the ability of a machine or a computer program to… Read more
Court is a delicate ecosystem in which human contact is essential
It is research, but not as we know it. After months of bugging HMCTS to… Read more
Digital court reform – dissent in the ranks?
Up until recently, judges’ views of the digital court reform programme have been little known… Read more
The death of local justice? How court closures marginalise rural communities
“I have had clients who have told me that they cannot afford to travel from… Read more
#thelawisnotbroken – court users seem happy enough with today’s courts
A rather confounding survey was published by the Courts Service (HMCTS) this week. It said… Read more
Justice must not just be done, but be seen to be done
Pamela Attfield was interested in putting in a small claim and so wanted to observe… Read more
The illusion of open justice
The judiciary seem exercised by the future of open justice. They are consulting judges and… Read more
More in hope than expectation? The government’s digital court reform programme
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the courts need to become more efficient. Saving… Read more
Not the “awkward squad”: unrepresented defendants in the Crown Court
In 2015 when I was trying (with difficulty) to do research on unrepresented defendants in… Read more
“Children don’t appreciate they are in court, not on a computer game”
How can it be that vulnerable child defendants have ended up participating in important court… Read more
Remand by skype – the dystopian future for an already broken system
Imagine being imprisoned on remand in relation to a crime you did not commit on the basis… Read more
Court closures – trying to get a quart into a pint pot?
How many courts do you need to close before the system grinds to a halt? … Read more
Court closures – trying to get a quart into a pint pot?
How many courts do you need to close before the system grinds to a halt? … Read more
Does the digital court reform programme risk more “enemies of the people” accusations?
This week some twitter wags pointed out that in having huge technical problems with video… Read more
The potential harm of video court hearings – its not just about crime
“The absence of the applicant in the court automatically depersonalises him/her. His/her feelings and emotions… Read more
When is a consultation not a consultation? More on digital court reform
I have badgered the Ministry of Justice to do a proper public consultation on their… Read more
Why is the courts service spending at least £30 million on management consultants?
I had heard through the grapevine that the courts service in England and Wales (HMCTS)… Read more
Video links make court into “another virtual experience” – a prisoner speaks
This week is a guest “blog” from a serving prisoner who wrote to me about… Read more
Click here to plead guilty – the latest on online courts
It has gone a bit quiet on the online criminal court front. The Queens’ Speech… Read more
Defendants on video – conveyor belt justice or a revolution in access?
New report on virtual justice (video courts) published today
Convenience is the lowest common denominator of access to justice
Convenience is great when all others things are equal. Making services easy to access is… Read more
“Lost in translation”? Fighting for your liberty on video
“I’ve only had one good experience with video link, and I’ve had lots of experience,… Read more
On screen but disconnected? The reality of virtual justice
I visited Chatham magistrates’ court this week. It’s opposite a busy shopping centre but I… Read more
Post election, can we take a rain check on virtual justice?
The electorate has spoken and we have ended up with a minority Conservative government. The… Read more
New survey on virtual courts
If you have experience of working with defendants/offenders appearing on video links or are a… Read more
Online justice – a cautionary tale
If you are charged with speeding, or driving without insurance, and admit guilt, you can… Read more
Unintended but costly consequences
I wrote last week that the government were moving hell for leather to implement online… Read more
How can justice be “seen to be done” in an online system?
The government is proceeding hell for leather with online justice both in the civil and… Read more
Is justice being sacrificed for convenience?
Andrew Langdon QC, the new Chairman of the Bar, recently said that justice has a… Read more
No conviction is trivial – the flaw in online guilty pleas
Very few people in this country understand the implications of a criminal conviction until they… Read more
What court process is really in the best interest of witnesses?
No-one denies that the experience of giving evidence in a criminal trial can be traumatic,… Read more
The holy grail of the digital court
Judges and HMCTS staff seem to have put their faith in digitisation to resolve most… Read more
Is better IT the answer to courtroom chaos?
It was an interesting week for court reform. The Lord Chancellor pronounced himself shocked by… Read more
are the courts prepared for no lawyers?
There have been hundreds of people appearing in courts without a lawyer for a long… Read more