Court Management, Organization, International Development:

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Court Management, Organization, International Development: Court Administration and the Rule of Law
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COVID-19 impacts and technology in courts (can include potential technological advancements in old court process that can in expediating cases or clearing backlogs in Canadian courts), can use language for potential research on a few internationally applied technology used in courts.

 

 

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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a major impact on courts across Canada and around the world. In an effort to reduce the spread of infection, courts have been forced to close their doors or move to virtual platforms in order to continue delivering justice. These shifts towards technology have created challenges for many legal systems as they grapple with how best to facilitate proceedings virtually while simultaneously protecting defendants’ rights within this new context.

One potential solution is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies which are already being used in countries such as China and France for criminal case management tasks (Fang & Zhuang, 2020). This includes automating document processing, streamlining data collection from multiple sources, providing court officials with up-to-date information related to each case, and even predicting outcomes based on available evidence. Such advancements could potentially help expedite cases by reducing paperwork associated with manual processes as well as provide greater accuracy when making decisions regarding sentencing or appeals.

Other technologically based solutions include using remote video/audio capabilities which can increase access to justice via enabling participants involved in hearings – including suspects arrested pre-trial – connect remotely without having physically attend court sessions which could put them at risk for contracting COVID-19 (Shah et al., 2021). In addition, cloud storage is also increasingly being utilized so that lawyers can share documents easily among other participants involved in a case such as judges or prosecutors thus speeding up preparation for hearings significantly.

In conclusion, whilst significant changes have been made during the pandemic towards embracing technological advances within court systems all over the globe – ranging from AI tools through cloud storage – this shift has come with its own unique set of challenges; nonetheless it’s clear that strategies like these may be necessary if we want our legal systems to remain functional and begin tackling backlogged cases more efficiently going forward.

As humans, we continuously seek out things that can produce pleasurable feelings. One of the few ways to attain this feeling of euphoria or pleasure is by consumption of chemical substances. However, continuous consumption of these substances can lead to development of dependence towards them and this is more commonly known as addiction. Currently, the cost of social and economic impacts due to drugs of abuse addiction sums up to more than $740 billion annually (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017). Despite this, the clear neurophysiological mechanisms underlying development and progression of addiction is still unknown.

Addiction can be defined as repeated self-administration of alcohol or other drugs (AOD’s) despite knowledge of adverse medical and social consequences and attempts to abstain from AOD use (Robert & Koob, 1997). Initial intake of drug may be due influenced by genetic, psychosocial or environmental factors however, subsequent doses is most probably caused by action on drug on the brain to induce the drug-seeking behaviour. Addiction is comprised of three stages which are ‘binge/intoxication’, ‘withdrawal/negative affect’, and ‘preoccupation/anticipation’ as seen in Figure 1 (Koob &Volkow, 2010).

Figure 1. The Three stages of addiction and brain areas each stage associates with (Herman & Roberto, 2015)

‘Binge/intoxication’ refers to the consistent intake of drug after initial dose which may cause decrease in dopamine release after each intake due to sensitization. This will then lead to ‘withdrawal/negative affect’ stage where absence of drug will cause a decrease in dopamine causing anxious and restless feelings resulting in the craving or ‘preoccupation/anticipation’ stage. Two major factors known to modulate these behavioural changes are reinforcement where a stimulus increases the chance of response and neuroadaptation, the process by which neuronal structures change in response to drug exposure. Modulation of these factors motivates initial response to a drug and formation of long-term craving however, relapse is thought to be caused by permanent neuroadaptations that will cause discomfort during withdrawal (Robert & Koob, 1997)

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