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认知是公民秩序以及法律体系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了根本性变化，现在许多审判必须在参与者家中在线进行，没有人在场。目前还没有在线支持让公众准备好在自己家里出庭，也没有指导他们参观这些新的虚拟空间。这对程序的有效性提出了若干挑战，许多利益集团对正当程序和使法院使用者远离程序的危险表示关切。尤其令人担忧的是，数字贫困、弱势群体和其他非专业用户是否有能力有效参与这种新的司法方式。该项目将与女王陛下法院和审裁处合作，利用现有的研究成果和与公众、法院工作人员、利益团体、从业人员和决策者的广泛咨询，制作一个良好做法材料的中央资料库和一系列视听指南。它将以提高技术能力的五个关键目标为指导；增进对法庭程序的了解；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；产生一种往返于城市空间的旅行感；在虚拟法庭程序中提倡尊严和庄重。

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.