Report highlights failings in digital switch in criminal courts

Reforms to move paper-based criminal courts into the digital age have been beset by failings with lost computer discs, systems that “do not talk to each other” and “numerous mistakes”, inspectors have found.

Their findings are contained in a recently released report following a joint investigation between Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).

Despite the programme to modernise the courts, many still heavily rely on paper and manual processes. This is to compensate for the “lack of a wholly intuitive digital capability,” the inspectors say, a situation that causes wasted costs, increased risk of error and undermines the benefits that could come from full digital working.

“Progress in establishing a modernised digital criminal justice system has clearly been made but the vision of a digital end-to-end system, where information is captured once by a police officer responding to a crime and then flows through the system without duplication or reworking, is still some way from becoming reality,” according to the report.

Computer discs containing evidence still have to be physically sent to the CPS and many are lost. Other problems include a limit on the size of data that can be transferred across the system.

There is difficulty in sending papers digitally to defence representatives. “Commonly, the CPS prints off a paper copy for the defence representatives and sends this via courier to the court.” 

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