E-justice: Digitizing today’s courts
When it comes to e-justice—using technology to improve access to justice and strengthen the legal system—a great example is the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The court wanted to digitize its processes so justices could work remotely and staff members could handle their rapidly growing caseload more efficiently. By moving to a cloud model based on Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Intune for mobile device management, and a new case management system based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Supreme Court processes now run more smoothly and adjournments occur less often. Moreover, the court is now on track to reduce its overall IT budget by up to 60 percent, while empowering staff to work more efficiently.
This example demonstrates the power of cloud technology to improve how courts operate. Using Microsoft technology, courts around the globe can dramatically increase their efficiency—speeding up trials, reducing costs, and enhancing the transparency of judicial proceedings. Consider the following:
Digitizing court records
By digitizing and indexing court files, judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys can quickly search for and obtain the specific cases they need, right when they need them. Staff members no longer need to search among thousands of paper-based court records kept in storage. And they don’t need to worry about lost or damaged files. By migrating these files to the cloud on Microsoft Azure, courts obtain the failover needed to make sure court records are always available—complete with the most recent decisions and developments.
Court scheduling
By implementing technologies such as Microsoft Office 365, judges, clerks, stenographers, court clerks, prosecutors and defense attorneys have access to a transparent and dynamic scheduling system. With access to others’ calendars, they can easily schedule court dates. And with the capabilities of Skype for Business, they can quickly handle administrative procedures via video conferences—without the need for all parties to physically appear in the court room.
Case management
Using technologies like Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, courts can more easily manage cases from beginning to end. Take a criminal case, for example. By digitizing paper processes, information about the case can be seamlessly transferred from the police department to the prosecutor and defense attorney and then to the judge at the start of the trial. If the defendant is convicted, the file can then be digitally transferred to the prison or parole office, with each relevant official obtaining the real-time information needed to keep the case moving forward.
Remote testimony
For many proceedings, courts can let police and citizens appear remotely using Skype for Business, expediting judicial processes as well as saving time and money by keeping police on the streets. In addition, Skype for Business can be used to enable people who are in custody to testify from jail, reducing the expense of securely transporting defendants to the courtroom.
Data analytics
Today’s advanced data analytics tools give courts the opportunity to improve their efficiency. For example, administrative officials can tap into the Cortana Analytics Suite to analyze how quickly the court system is processing cases from arrest to sentencing, identifying bottlenecks that need to be addressed. They can also compare how different judges sentence similar crimes, with the goal of achieving greater consistency and transparency in sentencing.
These are just some of the ways that Microsoft technology can dramatically improve the judicial operations. To learn more, please see our Public Safety and National Security website or request a trial: Azure Government Trial, Office 365 Government Trial
