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Volume: 19 | Article ID: 6
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E-justice to Bridge Records Management Gap at the High Court in Namibia
  DOI :  10.2352/issn.2168-3204.2022.19.1.6  Published OnlineJune 2022
Abstract
Abstract

E-justice is an electronic records management system aimed at enhancing the availability of electronical court records to support the discharge of justice. Urgent need to assess the relevance of the system was required as statistical information from 2019, indicated that approximately 25440 high court cases could not be finalised between 2015 and 2019 due to a lack of access to reliable court records. This created perpetual embarrassment as suspects who are innocent until proven guilty, remain imprisoned. Towards exploring the enhancement of an e-justice system to expand access to records in the judiciary, the study adopted a qualitative approach in which data was collected through interviews and observation. Twelve participants were interviewed, and numerous high court offices visited, to assess the extent to which improvements to an e-justice system is required. Findings revealed that a lack of specific policies and procedures to govern the management of records impacted negatively on the access to court records. In addition, financial limitations, old ICT infrastructure, and poor human resource skill further exacerbate the problem. The solution towards the problem is based on the development and implementation of an e-justice framework where records are captured, categorised, and made accessible to high courts through advanced information and communication infrastructures. Towards this end, it is recommended that the Namibian Judiciary embark on a change management process where updated ICT infrastructure support records management life cycle functions and where all members of the judiciary are well versed in the use of an e-justice system.

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  Cite this article 

Beauty Matongo, Lorette Jacobs, "E-justice to Bridge Records Management Gap at the High Court in Namibiain Archiving Conference,  2022,  pp 25 - 29,  https://doi.org/10.2352/issn.2168-3204.2022.19.1.6

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