Virtual Justice - Enhancing accessibility, participation and procedural justice in family courts and tribunals during the COVID-19 pandemic

对可及性和公平性的看法是社会秩序以及法律的制度和国家合法性的核心。COVID-19和社交距离规则迫使司法系统发生根本性变化，许多审判现在不得不在参与者家中在线进行，没有人在实体法庭上。目前还没有在线支持来帮助公众做好从自己家中出庭的准备，或指导他们在这些新的虚拟空间中活动。这对这一程序的有效性提出了一些挑战，许多利益集团对正当程序和使法院使用者脱离这一程序的危险表示关切。特别令人关切的是，数字贫困、弱势和其他非专业用户是否有能力有效参与这种伸张正义的新方式。该项目将与英国法院和法庭事务处合作，利用现有的研究成果和与公众、法院工作人员、利益集团、从业人员和决策者的广泛协商，制作一个良好做法材料中央资料库和一系列视听指南。它将以五个关键目标为指导：提高技术能力;增进对法院程序的了解;支持法院用户在虚拟空间中导航不同的地理位置和时间感;产生往返公民空间的旅行感;以及促进虚拟法院诉讼程序中的尊严和庄严。

Perceptions of accessibility and fairness are central to civil order and the legitimacy of the legal system and state. COVID-19 and social distancing rules have forced radical changes upon the justice system with many trials now having to take place online from participants' homes with no one being present in a physical courtroom. There is currently no online support to prepare members of the public for appearing in court from their own home or to guide them around these new virtual spaces. This poses a number of challenges to the validity of the process with many interest groups expressing concern about due process and the dangers of alienating court users from the process. There are particular concerns about the ability of the digitally impoverished, vulnerable and other lay users to participate effectively in this new way of doing justice. Workingin partnership with Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service this project will draw on existing research and extensive consultation with the public, court staff, interest groups, practitioners and policy makers to produce a central repository of good practice materials and a series of audiovisual guides. It will be guided by the five key goals of enhancing technical competence; improving understanding of court processes; supporting court users in navigating the alternative geographies and sense of time in virtual space; engendering a sense of journeys to and from civic space; and promoting dignity and gravitas in virtual court proceedings.