Prioritizing Victims and Efficiency: The Role of Case Management Platforms in Prosecution.

• Author: Leatherwood, Nathan

The pandemic may be over, but the challenges it has caused the legal system aren't necessarily. Many prosecutors are still lacing both understaffing and high case numbers, the latter resulting from the COVID-19 backlog. (1)

As prosecutors continue to push justice forward, how can they operate with more work and less staff? How can prosecutors keep victims'rights at the forefront of their work, while trying to juggle increasing caseloads?

Technology in prosecution is here to stay. As developers continue to experiment with artificial intelligence in legal settings, many prosecutorial offices still don't have access to modern case management platforms.

MULTIPLYING WORKFORCE

Case management platforms can allow prosecutors to streamline tedious tasks like creating digital forms, managing workflows, releasing discovery to defense teams, sharing documents with law enforcement, and more.

A digital platform frees prosecutors from network-based systems and allows users to access information anytime, anywhere, through secure cloud-based systems.

These features, alone, could transform the way prosecutors work and create paperless environments. Instead of sorting through hefty physical files that require transportation and maintenance, users can instantly search through thousands or files with advanced search capabilities.

PRIMING OFFICES FOR ADVANCING TECH

A case management platform is instrumental in preparing prosecutor offices for the in tegration of emerging technologies. Across the United States, prosecutor offices are embracing innovative tools such as public facing data dashboards and exploring the potential of AI-driven solutions.

For example, in Colorado, eight judicial district offices have adopted public-facing data portals to fight disparities in prosecution outcomes and promote equity in the justice system.These initiatives highlight the importance of digitized information access and viewing capabilities in empowering prosecutor offices to adapt to evolving trends. (2)

Case management platforms can allow prosecutors to better analyze their data with a variety of filters, once again, allowing offices to better communicate data to their communities and proactively prepare for the adoption of tools mentioned in this article.

PRIORITIZING VICTIMS' RIGHTS

The evolving landscape of criminal justice is increasingly prioritizing the rights of victims, and case management tools...