Professors Sue Prince & Liz Smart explain why inclusion must be at the heart of reform to improve access to justice
- As digital technology replaces paper-based court processes, it is important to consider development from the perspective of those who use the courts, and to change the language from digital disadvantage to digital inclusion.
The Law Society reports that between 2010 and 2019, almost half the courts in England and Wales were closed. Those that remain have faced significant resourcing challenges, such as reducing judicial sitting hours and the opening hours of public counters.
In response to some of these issues, in 2016, HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) began a £1.2bn court modernisation programme. This programme was supported by the senior judiciary in the document ‘Transforming Our Justice System’. Court modernisation expanded and developed digital court services, replacing some of the traditional, paper-based processes with online and digital, such as the development of the Online Civil Money Claims portal for many small
