scholarly journals Access to electronic court records in Botswana

Author(s):  
Tshepho Mosweu

Governments all over the world are using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enable the delivery of their programmes more effectively and efficiently and to increase the participation of the citizens in their governance through their e-government initiatives. The main purpose of this study was to explore issues of access to electronic case files at the Gaborone Magisterial District. Since 2005, the Department of Administration of Justice (AOJ) in Botswana has implemented an electronic Court Records Management System (CRMS) to manage case file records at the high courts and magistrates’ courts of Botswana as one of the government’s public sector reforms to improve service delivery at the courts. This study used both the quantitative and qualitative approaches with data collected through a questionnaire, document review, interviews with respondents and observation of respondents at the Gaborone Magisterial District as well as at justice stakeholders, which are Department of Public Prosecutions and the Department of Prisons and Rehabilitation. The questionnaire was supplemented with interviews. The study used the Records Continuum Model as lens to examine how electronic case files were used and accessed through the CRMS. The findings of the study revealed inadequate legislation on the management of electronic case files in Botswana. Challenges such as network disruptions, shortage of computers, resistance to change, training and a lack of commitment by staff affected access to court records on the CRMS. The study also established that access to electronic case files was limited to court personnel only. The study recommends the adoption of relevant policies and the provision of adequate infrastructure and remote access to electronic court records by the public and other stakeholders in the justice system in Botswana. Failure to provide online access to court records goes against the spirit of the Botswana National ICT policy and the National Vision 2036, which advocates for digital access to information and community access through the use of ICTs.

Author(s):  
Tshepho Mosweu

Governments all over the world are using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enable the delivery of their programmes more effectively and efficiently and to increase the participation of the citizens in their governance through their e-government initiatives. The main purpose of this study was to explore issues of access to electronic case files at the Gaborone Magisterial District. Since 2005, the Department of Administration of Justice (AOJ) in Botswana has implemented an electronic Court Records Management System (CRMS) to manage case file records at the high courts and magistrates’ courts of Botswana as one of the government’s public sector reforms to improve service delivery at the courts. This study used both the quantitative and qualitative approaches with data collected through a questionnaire, document review, interviews with respondents and observation of respondents at the Gaborone Magisterial District as well as at justice stakeholders, which are Department of Public Prosecutions and the Department of Prisons and Rehabilitation. The questionnaire was supplemented with interviews. The study used the Records Continuum Model as lens to examine how electronic case files were used and accessed through the CRMS. The findings of the study revealed inadequate legislation on the management of electronic case files in Botswana. Challenges such as network disruptions, shortage of computers, resistance to change, training and a lack of commitment by staff affected access to court records on the CRMS. The study also established that access to electronic case files was limited to court personnel only. The study recommends the adoption of relevant policies and the provision of adequate infrastructure and remote access to electronic court records by the public and other stakeholders in the justice system in Botswana. Failure to provide online access to court records goes against the spirit of the Botswana National ICT policy and the National Vision 2036, which advocates for digital access to information and community access through the use of ICTs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tshepho Lydia Mosweu ◽  
Lekoko Kenosi

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess whether the implementation of the electronic Court Records Management System (CRMS) at the Gaborone Magisterial District, Botswana, brought improvements in the delivery of justice as expected in the management of case file records. Design/methodology/approach Principally, a quantitative approach utilizing a research survey design, supplemented by a qualitative approach was used in this study. Findings The CRMS implementation led to improvements in case file management at the Gaborone Magisterial District; case files were successfully captured into the system; retrieval of case files became easier; and incidents of lost and misplaced case files went down significantly. Challenges included shortcomings related to the security of digital case files, digital records preservation and disposition, records appraisal, training, inadequate bandwidth and shortage of computers, as well as inadequate archives and records management standards and guidelines. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study are limited to the case study and cannot be generalized to other organizations. Practical implications The findings should aid future implementation of court records management systems in the judiciary specifically and the public sector in general in Africa. Lessons learnt can enable the avoidance of pitfalls experienced in the implementation of CRMS by other courts. Originality/value This paper provides empirical evidence from an original study.


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 1134-1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vibeke Videm ◽  
Ranjeny Thomas ◽  
Matthew A. Brown ◽  
Mari Hoff

Objective.Self-reported diagnoses of inflammatory arthritis are not accurate. The primary study aim was to ascertain self-reported diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in the Norwegian population-based Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) using hospital case files. The secondary aim was to provide updated estimates of the prevalence and incidence of RA and AS.Methods.All inhabitants ≥ 20 years old from the county of Nord-Trøndelag were invited. Data from 70,805 unique participants from HUNT2 (1995–1997) and HUNT3 (2006–2008) were included. For participants who self-reported RA or AS, case files from all 3 hospitals in the catchment area were evaluated using standardized diagnostic criteria.Results.Of 2703 self-reported cases of RA, 19.1% were verified in hospital files. Of 1064 self-reported cases of AS, 15.8% were verified. Of 259 cases self-reporting both RA and AS, 8.1% had RA and 5.4% had AS. Overall, a self-report of 1 or both diagnoses could not be verified in 82.1%, including 22.8% with insufficient information or no case file. The prevalence of RA was 768 (95% CI 705–835) per 100,000. The incidence of RA from HUNT2 to HUNT3 was 0.48 (0.41–0.56) per 1000 per year. The prevalence of AS was 264 (228–305) per 100,000. The incidence of AS from HUNT2 to HUNT3 was 0.19 (0.15–0.24) per 1000 per year.Conclusion.Self-reported diagnoses of RA and AS are often false-positive. The prevalence and incidence of RA were comparable to reports from similar populations. The incidence of AS was higher than previously reported in a mixed population from Norway.


2021 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 12-23
Author(s):  
Khunjulwa Ntengenyane ◽  
Festus Khayundi

This article focuses on harnessing a records management programme for justice delivery at the Alice Magistrates’ court. The objectives of the study were to find the extent to which court records are managed for justice delivery, the influence of court records in court processes, and the challenges, if any, of managing court records for justice delivery. The population of the study comprised all those who created and used court records at the Alice Magistrates’ court. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection. Quantitative data were coded and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2010 while qualitative data were analysed using emerging themes based on the objectives of the study. The findings revealed that although records were important for justice delivery by the court, there were challenges posed by inadequate infrastructure, the lack of necessary knowledge and skills, ineffective control of records for justice delivery, and inadequate facilities for preservation and security of records. The study recommended improvement of the existing records management programme as a strategy. This is necessary for effective and efficient records management programme for justice delivery by the Alice Magistrates’ court.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122110389
Author(s):  
Amanda Regis-Moura ◽  
Leonardo B. Ferreira ◽  
Bruno Bonfá-Araujo ◽  
Fabio Iglesias

Case files can show how aggressors use different explanations to reduce the seriousness of their crime. We aimed to identify and categorize a 2016 Brazilian case file from a perpetrator of femicide, based on moral disengagement theory. Content analysis yielded 47 verbalized excerpts, with 70 disengagement occurrences. The most frequently used mechanisms throughout the aggressor's speeches consisted of moral justification and blaming the victim herself. Results indicated that he reduced the seriousness of the femicide and sought reduction of the consequences. We discuss how speeches in criminal cases can serve as a secondary source for producing data on violence.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1578-1598
Author(s):  
Muaadh Mukred ◽  
Zawiyah M. Yusof

This article discusses the relationship between educational institutes that use ERMS and the performance of those institutions. This article uses a mixed explanatory method that incorporated quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative method collected the responses from 364 participants. This was followed by a qualitative approach where experts were interviewed to verify the model. The results generated using the quantitative approach demonstrated that the quality of the system, information, and service as well as the security provided by the system had a significant positive relationship with the successful adoption of ERMS, which in turn improved performance. Moreover, the qualitative results that gathered through the experts confirmed the findings and contributed to enriching the understanding of the adoption of ERMS in educational institutions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 701-712
Author(s):  
Kirsten M. Rosacker ◽  
Robert E. Rosacker

Purpose This study aims to revisit and extends the work of Rosacker and Rosacker (2012) that called for increased interdisciplinary efforts to address and solve the critical issues (critical success factors) facing technologically-enabled remote-access voting platforms. It builds upon the background platform presented there, which included an historical timeline of information and communication technologies and an e-voting literature review, and extends that work by providing a state-of-the-art update and review of the rapidly changing voter environment from societal, technological and experiential studies over the past decade. Specific focus is directed at technology-enabled, remote-access voting, while also considering the important role technological advances can play in improving voter registration/confirmation procedures. Design/methodology/approach First, a brief review of significant societal and technological changes, including the rapid evolution of the internet of things, is undertaken to frame the discussion. Second, a sample of several technology-enabled, remote-access voting experiments are reviewed and critiqued. Third, currently available technical solutions targeting technology-enabled voter registration and vote casting are offered as the next step in the process that will ultimately lead to remote-access voting becoming widely deployed across smart devices. Finally, some contemporaneous conclusions are tendered. Findings Society and technology-enabled devices have each witnessed myriad changes and advancements in the second decade of the 21st century. These have led to numerous remote-access voting experiments across the globe that have overwhelmingly proven the concept of technology-enabled, remote-access voting to be viable while also identifying/reasserting issues (critical success factors) that continue to restrain its full implementation. Importantly, none of the problems identified is fatal to the concept. Originality/value This study considers the issue of technologically-enabled, remote-access voting focussing on the impacts associated with the portfolio of recent societal and technological advancements including the many vexing concerns and issues presented by the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing is limiting access to the traditional methods of in-person voting for both election officials and voters bringing into question the November 2020 US national election. Calls for expanded mail voting options and the requisite federal funding required to support these efforts are increasing, widespread and broadly persuasive. Wholly missing in this debate is an exhaustive consideration and discussion of technologically enhanced, remote-access voting systems and their role in filling the void.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Mar Fuah

One of the problems in the criminal case completions is that the difficulty of making decision to estimate when the settlement of the case file will be fulfilled. It is caused by the number of case files handled and detention time changing. Therefore, the fast and accurate information is needed. The research aims to develop a monitoring system tracking and tracking of scheduling rules using Rule Based Expert Systems method with 17 rules, and supported by Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID) in the form of computer applications. Based on the output of the system, an analysis is performed in the criminal case settlement process with a set of IF-THEN rules. The RFID reader read the data of case files through radio wave signals emitted by the antenna toward active-Tag attached in the criminal case file. The system is designed to monitor the tracking and tracing of RFID-based scheduling rules in realtime way that was built in the form of computer application in accordance with the system design. This study results in no failure in reading active tags by the RFID reader to detect criminal case files that had been examined. There were many case files handled in three different location, they were the constabulary, prosecutor, and judges of district court and RFID was able to identify them simultaneously. So, RFID supports the implementation of Rule Based Expert Systems very much for realtime monitoring in criminal case accomplishment.


2020 ◽  
pp. 108876792093961
Author(s):  
Shila René Hawk ◽  
Dean A. Dabney ◽  
Brent Teasdale

This study explores issues associated with the data commonly used in homicide clearance research. Data collected from 2009 to 2011 case files ( n = 252) were reviewed during interviews with investigators ( n = 29). The multifaceted data collection approach produced a more comprehensive dataset than was available based solely upon case file reviews, with alterations to the data occurring in as many as 69% of the cases. The process advanced the precision of the data recorded, reduced missingness, and heightened detail on key variables. Significant differences were noted in multivariate analyses of the datasets when modeling clearances. Findings suggest contextualizing case file data is valuable.


Author(s):  
Nourelhoda M. Mahmoud ◽  
Hassan Fouad ◽  
Ahmed M. Soliman

Abstract Patient gesture recognition is a promising method to gain knowledge and assist patients. Healthcare monitoring systems integrated with the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm to perform the remote solutions for the acquiring inputs. In recent years, wearable sensors, and information and communication technologies are assisting for remote monitoring and recommendations in smart healthcare. In this paper, the dependable gesture recognition (DGR) using a series learning method for identifying the action of patient monitoring through remote access is presented. The gesture recognition systems connect to the end-user (remote) and the patient for instantaneous gesture identification. The gesture is recognized by the analysis of the intermediate and structuring features using series learning. The proposed gesture recognition system is capable of monitoring patient activities and differentiating the gestures from the regular actions to improve the convergence. Gesture recognition through remote monitoring is indistinguishable due to the preliminary errors. Further, it is convertible using series learning. Therefore, the misdetections and classifications are promptly identified using the DGR and verified by comparative analysis and experimental study. From the analysis, the proposed DGR approach attains 94.92% high precision for the varying gestures and 89.85% high accuracy for varying mess factor. The proposed DGR reduces recognition time to 4.97 s and 4.93 s for the varying gestures and mess factor, respectively.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document