Depositions Go Virtual During Pandemic, May Remain That Way
The pandemic has changed a lot of things since it hit the world early last year. Some of the industries that changed include the restaurant industry, retail shops, and yes – even the justice system. For the most part, the criminal justice system was able to adjust thanks to innovations such as remote court reporting which allowed justice to be delivered regardless of the circumstances.
These past couple of months have been terrible for many industries and yes – that includes the criminal justice system. One of the adjustments made in the sector is that court hearings went virtual with the help of tools like Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet. While the process was slower at first, it eventually became just as fast as traditional court hearings.
Surprisingly, the sector adjusted well. Thanks to innovations like remote court reporting for instance, it was a lot easier for courts to proceed with cases as usual. Now, with the pandemic starting to reel away – where does the future lie when it comes to court hearings and depositions? Is it going to remain the same?
Experts believe that depositions and court hearings are going to remain that way even after the pandemic is dealt with. This spells good news for everyone involved in the justice system, including people themselves as this virtual world holds so much more potential.
It’s Easier For All Parties
One of the most important reasons why depositions will remain the same even after the pandemic is that it’s easier for everyone. Virtual depositions and court hearings are good for the court, the people involved in the case, and basically just about everyone else. All that’s needed to do is a compatible device and a conferencing tool, and that’s it.
People don’t have to make their way to court to get the hearing done. This is good as it is both less time-consuming and it’s also more practical too. The only true hindrance to virtual hearings and depositions is a slow internet connection but that’s not a big problem nowadays anymore as well.
As it is easier for everyone, hearings can be done very quickly and efficiently. It’s fairly easy to have justice served. With the help of remote court reporting, the system becomes more streamlined and fair for everyone else. It’s a good way to ensure that justice is able to proceed even after all of the challenges the world is facing.
There’s No Downside To It
Thanks to better technology when it comes to audio and video recording, there’s no downside to going all out for virtual hearings and depositions. Despite the distance, these hearings will feel as real as possible because of the quality of cameras and microphones nowadays. This is a very important factor to consider as well.
One of the challenges of virtual legal proceedings before was that the discrepancies when it comes to audio and video were very different from what we see in real life. This could lead to major problems – most specifically when it comes to documentation and even court reporting as well.
However, as the technology behind recording becomes more advanced, even remote court reporting is made possible. Court reporters can clearly hear and transcribe all of the things that are said in court. This is very important as it means that the documentation process will be clear throughout.
It’s Court Hearings Made Simple
The thing is, court hearings can become complicated matters. People will have to set their schedules accordingly. There will be instances where parties are unable to attend because they don’t have the time to devote to the court. However, virtual depositions and court hearings are easier to adjust to.
No one needs to go out of their way to head to court. All they really need to do is to attend the virtual hearing and that is how the justice system will proceed. It’s a lot more simple to adjust to. This means everyone has no excuse to not attend any hearings or any of the depositions as well.
Courts and criminal justice systems have seen the convenience and benefits when it comes to holding virtual depositions and hearings. As such, we can see courts moving forward with this in the future because of the convenience it brings. Hopefully, more and more justice systems see this benefit and stick with it.
It Makes Court Hearings Possible Regardless Of The Current Situation
The pandemic has shown the resiliency and the versatility of various sectors and industries when it comes to scenarios that make regular processes tougher to execute. The thing about getting used to virtual setups is that it prepares any sector for various situations. Thus, it makes them able to adjust accordingly when things like pandemics happen.
By using virtual setups immediately, courts won’t need to adjust heavily just in case bad things happen in the real world. It’s things like these that will make it easier for sectors, businesses, and various industries to adjust well. In this day and age, we can all use such resiliency.
It’s Cheaper
Surprisingly, virtual depositions and hearings are a lot cheaper as compared to ones that are held in the courtroom. It’s cheaper not just for the sector, but also for the people involved in it. For instance, it’s cheaper for the people involved in a case as they don’t have to spend time and money just to set a court date.
The financial differences might not be that big but when you look at it from a broader perspective, it’s actually for the benefit of a lot of people. This cheapness is going to be good in the long run and people will begin to see why virtual hearings and depositions are always going to be here to stay.
Virtual depositions and hearings are made possible thanks to the emergence of technology that improves upon regular court procedures. Hopefully, more criminal justice systems shift to the virtual setup as it is clearly more beneficial for all those who are involved in the process.