Implementing Technology in the Justice Sector: A Canadian Perspective

Despite the many technological advances that could benefit the court system, the use of computers and network technology to facilitate court procedures is still in its infancy, and court procedures largely remain attached to paper documents and to the physical presence of the parties at all stages. More and more research is focusing on the use of technology to make the legal system more efficient and to reduce excessive legal costs and delays. The goal of this exploratory research project is to examine the experience of justice sector technology implementation from the perspective of individuals involved first-hand in the implementation process. This study will provide insight into the political and cultural factors that support and hinder the implementation of technologies in the justice sector. Unstructured interviews were conducted with individuals involved in the planning and implementation of technological change in Canadian courts in order to gather their perspectives on the change process. These key informants were asked to discuss the process of technological change in their courts, the barriers that they experienced to such technological change, and the factors that promote or support the implementation of technology by courts. A grounded theory approach was used to identify emergent themes related to these questions. The results provide insight into the factors that promote and impede the implementation of technologies by Canadian courts