Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated technological advancements within the Polish criminal justice system, notably through the integration of remote communication tools for legal proceedings. This paper examines the introduction and impact of remote hearings, including those for detention on remand, arguing for the expansion of remote hearings beyond cases where the defendant is in custody. It highlights the existing legal framework’s limitations, such as the conditional telephone contact between a defendant and their defense counsel, which infringes on the right to defense due to the lack of confidentiality and effectiveness in legal assistance. Furthermore, the paper discusses the potential benefits of digitizing criminal proceeding files, including improved efficiency, accessibility, and the safeguarding of the fair trial principle. Despite potential drawbacks like digital exclusion and security concerns, the implementation of a unified digital system across all courts is proposed to facilitate data exchange and streamline proceedings. Additionally, the paper addresses the limitations of replacing human interpreters with automated translation software in criminal proceedings, emphasizing the necessity of human oversight to ensure fair trial guarantees. The study suggests a hybrid approach to translation that combines machine translation with human verification, drawing parallels with GDPR provisions for human intervention in automated decision-making processes.
Keywords
remote hearings; digitization of criminal proceedings; automated translation; digital technology; Poland