Thoughts on judicial reforms

*** Talking about the problems in our criminal justice system, one way to help the system function well is to add more court branches and court staff. Court dockets are clogged with numerous litigations that cannot possibly be resolved promptly.I have seen a court that hears 50 or more cases every day, and that is just in the morning. There may even still be hearings in the afternoon. I really sympathize with the plight of the judge and the court staff.

No doubt that the public still treat our courts with the highest regard. But there are just too many cases filed left and right, with too few court branches to handle them. Regardless of how high our regard for the legal process is, we cannot help but feel frustrated with how slow and sometimes impractical the process has become.

Another way to help the legal system is to integrate information and communication technology in the administration of justice.I know that reforms of this nature are being done already in some pilot areas in the country.

In Cebu, I know of one enterprising judge in the south who used ICT in the simplest way. Aside from sending formal notices that usually take over a week or two to reach their recipients, the good judge also posted a message in the Facebook page of the Integrated Bar asking the members of the bar to inform their fellow lawyers concerned about a scheduled hearing date.

The role of ICT in judicial reform is critical for the Philippines, especially in the areas of litigation and court administration. Some countries have already shown the way.

In Singapore, we hear of "paperless courts." In India, an ICT expert had boldly asserted that with ICT, "India's 300 year case backlog can be reduced to three years, in a span of only three years." That may be exaggerated but you get the point. In the UK, courts have issued guidelines in filing and serving legal documents by email. Pilot courts in Kenya are experimenting on video conferencing technology during trials.

I would like to see the day that lawyers and the courts in the Philippines exchange legal documents, file cases, or send notices and orders electronically. It may still be a revolting or risky idea to some, but so was ditching the typewriter for the personal computer decades ago.

In my column last week, I wrote about the spate of killings of suspected drug pushers in the country. I ended with the words, "Enough already." Let me qualify that I did also mean to say enough already with a dysfunctional criminal justice...