Remote justice is poor imitation of the real thing

For now, much of Scotland’s justice is being done remotely. When the pandemic struck, Scottish courts already had procedures for remote hearings. These have long been necessary in cases where, for example, protection of a vulnerable witness is key; but they were rarely resorted to, and the IT infrastructure was unimpressive.

Adjustment to remote hearings as standard was rapid and largely successful. Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service made, in literally a few weeks, advances that would otherwise have taken years. Remote hearings in civil cases, and remote juries in criminal ones, have allowed the process of justice to continue safely in the most difficult and unusual circumstances. This is a credit to the legal system and those who interact with it.

Read the full article in The Scotsman here.