[Air-L] Fwd: hybrid lecture - Judith Townend (Sussex) on 'Opaque Justice? The Technology and Transparency of Courts and Tribunals' - Wed 18 September, Dundee/online

[Angela Daly]

Please join us either in Dundee (Scotland/UK) or online for the inaugural
University of Dundee Law School-Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic
Science joint lecture with Dr Judith Townend (University of Sussex) on
'Opaque Justice? The Technology and Transparency of Courts and Tribunals'
taking place on Wednesday 18 September at 5pm UK time.

RSVP:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/opaque-justice-the-technology-and-transparency-of-courts-and-tribunals-tickets-943216845977
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Though interpreted and applied variously, the common law principle of open
justice is widely understood as crucial to holding the justice system to
account, through different transparency mechanisms. How, then, does this
work in practice? How has the introduction of new justice technologies –
such as video-enabled proceedings, fully remote court hearings, and online
conviction or dispute resolution procedures – affected public observation
of the system? How should we balance privacy and rehabilitation related
rights with the public’s right to know about legal cases?

These are questions that have preoccupied Judith Townend’s research and
resulted in her co-authored monograph, *Observing Justice* (with Lucy
Welsh, BUP, 2023 https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/observing-justice)
and the establishment of the Courts and Tribunals Observers’ Network (
https://courtobservers.org/
<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcourtobservers.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cadaly001%40dundee.ac.uk%7Cf9ac63d7d0354d8d0bbf08dcd0dc04bc%7Cae323139093a4d2a81a65d334bcd9019%7C0%7C0%7C638614890630151439%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=sc0BhjVHHRFzdyykRiy%2FVa9XwtdCAI4HUMhxpjc5Edw%3D&reserved=0>).
Her research has considered the control and processing of justice system
data in different jurisdictions (Australia, Canada and Ireland, as well as
England and Wales) and she has long advocated for increased public
involvement in the development of policy and guidance on open
justice/transparency practices.

In this inaugural lecture, hosted by the University of Dundee Law School
and Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, Townend will summarise
some of her key findings from her internationally comparative work on
justice system data, empirical findings from court observations and
research among former criminal defendants, and analysis of court rules and
guidance. She will propose an international research and policy agenda for
the technology and transparency of justice systems, that could be applied
in the context of the Scottish courts. This would prioritise improving the
quality, availability and governance of justice system data, pay attention
to jurisdictional specificities in practice as well as law, and seek
opportunities for public engagement in law and policymaking on open justice
and justice system technologies (including AI-based tools).

This event is run with support by the Justice and Power research Priority
Theme in the School of Humanities, Social Sciences & Law and the University
of Dundee Law School along with the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic
Science.


*Bio:*

Dr Judith Townend is Reader in Digital Society and Justice at the
University of Sussex, where she is also co-director of the Sussex Digital
Humanities Lab. She is an associate research fellow at the Institute of
Advanced Legal Studies, and fellow at the civil society organisation
Connected by Data. Her socio-legal research is concerned with freedom of
expression and public access to information, and she has developed a
particular expertise and interest in the practice and policy of open
justice. In 2021 she gave evidence to the House of Commons select committee
on justice, and in response to a Government consultation that followed,
convened an ad hoc working group of court and tribunal observers to inform
and collaborate on responses (http://courtobservers.org). Her work has been
published in a range of leading journals and media publications. More
details: https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p373643-judith-townend