Technology In The Court

Though most people have been inside a courtroom at some point in their lives, it is important to recognize that today”s courtroom is becoming a place of technology in its own right. Whether you are on trial for committing a crime or you are involved in a personal injury case, the use of modern technology can radically bring the facts and details surrounding your case into the foreground.

Strange as it may seem, technology has always appeared to make its way into the courtroom. Whether this is because a crime was committed with a piece of technology or because technology was useful in rendering a decision in a case, either way, technology is often central to legal proceedings. The role of technology in trials, no matter how it is used, often exposes the clever ingenuity of both criminals and lawyers alike.

Common Technological Devices Used In Legal Practices

When pagers, cell phones, fax machines, and computers started to be used more widely by the general public, their use in the courtroom itself became not only valuable for helping lawyers communicate and gather evidence, but in many cases these electrical devices started to become evidence also. When it comes to presenting a case, however, there is no doubt that once a piece of technology is used to elaborate a key point that this makes the details surrounding how that piece of tech is used are easier for people to remember. Consequently, it is no surprise that attorneys intentionally use projectors, video tapes, and mobile devices like electronic tablets in their presentations to keep the jury paying close attention to the details of the trial.

iPad

Image Source: Pixabay

Because many of these electronic devices can provide the members of the court with vivid animations of what is going on–especially when it comes to reconstructing events that the jury was not there to witness directly–this makes it possible for the jury to better imagine and articulate key points relevant to the case. This is extremely valuable in situations where the issues being hashed out in court are themselves intensely technical. Often pictures and animations help to radically reduce the level of complexity in such situations.

The Future Of courtroom Tech

In popular science fiction television series, such as Star Trek, it has been speculated that eventually there will be computerized devices that will measure the level of truthfulness of responses in real time. Though lie detector tests exist today, their accuracy is still suspect to considerable error. Though it is unlikely that we will see technology in the courtroom that can precisely determine if a plaintiff, defendant, or witness is lying any time soon, the ability to design technology that performs this task with extreme accuracy may emerge in our lifetime. This in turn could dramatically change how courts operate. Since participants in a trial would have to be more careful with what they say on the stand, it would make for an interesting new approach to carrying out a real trial. In addition, such a device may make the legal system more confident that justice is being served.

Priya

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Priya is a technology blogger. She loves to blog about blogging, business, gadgets, social media, latest tech news and wordpress.

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