Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to envision new ways of
working in the justice sector and to present the best
practices and lessons learned in current e-justice in
Finland. In 2011, Finnish prosecutors, district and
appellate court judges and other court staff were
interviewed and engaged in a workshop to envision
ICT-supported workflow for resolving criminal cases. The
three-stage anticipation dialogue workshop envisioned new
ways of working in 2015, the challenges in the 4-year
time span preceding it, and finally the possibilities of
advanced technology. Workshop participants were
relatively cautious with their visions, which clearly
indicated that advanced technology as such is no
solution. They considered interlinked and well-structured
electronic documents with online access for all parties
as enablers for working e-justice. Working with
electronic documents requires accessory displays, cabling
and power outlets for laptops as well as wireless
networks. Scheduling - a timeconsuming secondary task -
could be facilitated by shared electronic calendars with
court room booking capabilities. Remote hearing and
videoconferencing were anticipated to play a larger role
in the future. Throughout the workshop, the importance of
user-friendly information systems was emphasized. Even
though the core task of practicing law was expected to
remain the same, new technology requires a change in work
practices. Adopting new ways of working can be
challenging, and in addition to correctly-timed and
well-targeted training, employees will also need support
from their superiors.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 56-66 |
| Journal | The Electronic Journal of e-Government |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- e-justice
- criminal justice chain
- case management systems
- court room
- work practice
