Electronic Case files and streamlined court processes aim to speed up justice
Paperless courtrooms are moving a step closer as the Crown Prosecution Service prepares to issue lawyers with laptops and tablet computers for trials. At the moment we spend a fortune moving mountains of paper based evidence and legal documentation around the country on a daily basis. This is expensive, inefficient and time-consuming. The aim is to have all criminal justice system agencies transferring information electronically by the end of 2012.
Soon our lawyers will be arriving in court carrying a slim computer case instead of bundles of files and prosecuting from a laptop. No papers will be passed around in court because the defence will have already been served with any necessary documents electronically and victims will be notified of the results of cases online.
The first paperless court hearing was held at Winchester Crown Court in October and ran smoothly. Norwich Crown Court is conducting mock trials to explore the best ways of working digitally, tablet devices are being used in some Liverpool courts and one prosecutor in North Wales regularly uses a laptop in magistrates courts. The CPS is aiming to roll out the scheme across England and Wales from April onwards so Gloucestershire courts should see their first digital hearings later this year.
This is just part of the work going on across the criminal justice system to provide a simpler, swifter and more transparent service that meets the needs of victims and the public.
Under the 'Early Guilty Plea Scheme' CPS and defence advocates identify cases destined for the Crown Court that are likely to result in a guilty plea at an early stage. These cases are then fast tracked so that plea and sentence can be dealt with at one hearing, avoiding the usual adjournments. This reduces victims anxiety because cases are sentenced earlier, prevents unnecessary police and CPS file build and frees court and advocate time for contested cases. Following successful pilots in Liverpool, Winchester, Reading and Bristol, it is hoped that Gloucester Crown Court will also be hearing Early Guilty Plea Scheme cases before too long.
The 'Stop Delaying Justice' scheme aims to reduce the amount of time it takes to conclude cases in the magistrates courts. The initiative will ensure that contested trials are fully prepared at the first hearing and disposed of at the second hearing. It went live in Gloucestershire in December and is already helping to speed up the court process.
Used appropriately, 'Out of Court Disposals' as they are known, can gain reparation for victims, help to rehabilitate offenders and ensure that CPS resources are freed up for more serious and complicated cases. Gloucestershire's Community Oriented Policing (COP) initiative allows officers to use their professional judgement to decide whether to arrest an offender or impose an on-the-spot punishment which takes into account the needs of the victim. Sometimes this approach provides the swiftest and most effective type of justice.
