The Judicial Branch is leading a process to transform justice in these Covid-19 times. The Dominican Republic is following the global change where most hearings will only be in person when there is no other alternative. Most parties will be able to engage virtually or online rather than in person.
It’s already happening here. Supreme Court of Justice presiding judge Luis Henry Molina says that 85% of the hearings have been virtual, 15% have been face-to-face. As a strong backer of online justice, Molina says the virtual system will contribute to updating statistics and monitoring all situations that occur in the judiciary.
He emphasized that connectivity has been improving and that they are helping lawyers with few skills to get on part with the new technological tools. “We turned this pandemic crisis into an advantage,” he said.
Molina gives as an example of why online justice works better the recent approval of a resolution that allows a woman who has been raped not to have to be questioned in person. He said a protocol now allows to conduct the interrogations without the presence of the victims in court.
Since March 2020 when the courts closed after a National Emergency State was declared, more than 40,000 court rulings have been made, 97% of these in virtual mode, says Molina.
As part of the improvements they are making, Jonathan Toribio, director of the Real Estate Registry under the Judicial Branch, says that they intend to make the real estate registry fully digital by December. He said that from 7% in March, processes are now 50% digital.
An audit process has been created in the Judicial Branch to mitigate vulnerability and guarantee the implemented technological system’s security.
Not all are happy about justice online. The Dominican Lawyers Association has frequently picketed the Judicial Branch headquarters, protesting that online justice doesn’t work for all. Most defendants and plaintiffs are poorer than the average person and are less able to negotiate their legal cases online.
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Listin Diario
17 September 2020b