Will COVID-19 Accelerate Implementation of ICT in Courts?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic with the need to keep physical distance has suddenly increased the use of digital tools in all business areas and social activities, including the judiciary, demonstrating the need to accelerate the digitalisation of the handling of cases, access to justice, and audio-video communications. The outbreak has clearly displayed the problems that affects the general functioning of the various justice systems, and the limited, and often not very effective, use of information and communication technologies. The challenge now is to keep and further develop what has been useful and abandon what has been shown to be too problematic, or maybe just too premature for the time being. This paper tries to answer the question: “Will COVID-19 accelerate implementation of ICT in courts?”