Court Modernization in Latvia Annual meeting, 2013 Modernization of Courts in Latvia.

Court Modernization in Latvia

Annual meeting, 2013

Modernization of Courts in Latvia


Agenda

Introduction to Project framework

Part 1: Videoconferencing in Courts

Part 2: Process and cost optimization

Part 3: e-Services

Q&A


Latvian un Swiss cooperation programme individual project «Court Moderrnization in Latvia» Nr.CH01

Contract date: August 17, 2009

Contractual parties: Ministry of Finance (Latvia), Swiss Confederation

Implementation: Ministry of Justice (Latvia), Court Administration (Latvia), Central Finance and Contracting Agency (Latvia)

Total budget: 9 411 765 CHF (~4,9 m. LVL)

Financing by Swiss Confederation: 85%

Deadline: June 30, 2013 (planned for extension til December 31, 2013)

No of Activities: 6

Project management: Ltd Ernst & Young Baltic, Audit: Ltd Rodl & Partner

PR: Ltd Tēls PR & Deep White


Part 1 - Videoconferencing

Activities 1 and 2 «Set-up videoconference equipment in courts and prisons», «Set-up audio recording equipment in court proceedings»

Budget: 6 358 799 CHF

Contractor: Ltd «Lattelecom» (provides also hot-swap of central infrastructure, fast and reliable data transfer network)

Target Indicators: 1000 videoconference sessions / 2000 audio rec

Financial cost savings: Prisoner convoy costs (100 CHF per case, 13 000 cases annually), cross border court hearings, facilities for accused persons, attendance of forensic experts

Other benefits: General public safeguarding, decreased convoy paperwork, decreased health threats (infectious diseases)

Limitations: real time presence, eye contact




• Main use scenarios: Court – Prison facility, Court – Mobile unit (hospital, home, child room u.t.t.,), Court in Latvia – Court in Foreign country, Court – Forensic office, Police, Prosecutor, State Revenue Service e.t.c.

• Enhanced application: Trainings, seminars, meetings, discussion panels (Courts – Ministry of Justice/CA, Courts – Courts, Prisons – Prisons, Courts – Foreign courts etc.).

• Simultenously 12 end-points


Part 1 – Videoconferencing: Status

Activities 1 and 2 «Set-up videoconference equipment in courts and prisons», «Set-up audio recording equipment in court proceedings»• 58 (6 large, 52 standard) Court rooms equipped with

videoconference equipment (each Court house has at least one)

• 16 standard prison videoconference rooms• 7 mobile videoconference units (with voice distortion)• 312 rooms equiped with audio recording equipment• Secure and reliable (backed-up hot-swap) central

infrastructure in two locations• High capacity, secure data transfer lines• All rooms supplied with curtains and furniture



Equipment:• Display – Samsung 51’ (2 displays for large rooms, 32’

for prison facilities) • Centrally managed videoconference unit - Cisco

TelePresence System Codec C40 with 1 movable videocam (2 videocoms for large rooms)

• Configurable digital audio processor BSS BLU-100 – with 6 microphones (10 microphones for large court rooms, 5 – for audio recording only, 1 microphone for prison facilities)

• 7 mobile units Cisco TelePresence System 1700 MXP• Central infrastructure in 2 separate locations




• Computer hardware in court rooms (135 units)• Installation of data network wiring in court rooms and prison

facilities (>2 m/bits)• Additional furniture, curtains and audio storage/playback

equipment• Development and installation of audio protocol tagging system

(in progress)• Support for the use of video conference equipment (in

progress)



Current project activities (agreed as of 28.06.2012):• 13 more rooms will be equiped • 8 court rooms with audio recording equipment• 25 additional displays• 45 additional microphones

• Current status – tendering procedure in progress (2 applicants)

• Implementation within existing budget framework• Implementation deadline June 30, 2013



Project status (agreed as of 28.06.2012):• March 31, 2013 – Number of videoconferences: =1757

January 1, 2013 – Number of audio recordings: > 5000• Implementation extension needed – December 31, 2013

– Additional controls for tendering process for all tenders, – New Court-house building,– Thorough assessment of requirements for additional displays and

microphones (as noted by EU technical experts to implement «True-To-Life») done,

– Additional on-going end-user support in progress, lessons learnt and development of hands-on use procedures,

– Cooperation with Baltic partners.

• Additional project partners (incl.Court Administration, Ministry of Justice, Forensic expert office etc.)



Long-term plan and actions- Provide ongoing planning of user hands–on support (contract with Lattelecom for 6

support specialists in different regional courts – Rēzekne, Liepāja, Valmiera, Rīga), development of lessons learnt and practical guide

- Monitor legislation changes (checklist of all proposed and implemented legislation changes developed)

- Pan Baltic knowledge sharing (next Baltic meeting in Riga, August, 2013) - Promoting project on EU scale (annual Forum Meeting for all EU member states

between their respective capital cities appellation courts presidents and prosecutors, Riga (October 23-25, 2013)

- Further introduce true-to-life video conferencing experience- Plan in advance for more applications of videoconference equipment- Facilitate effective use of audio protocols (development of Tagging system in

progress).


Part 2 – Process and cost optimization

Activity 3: «Improve cost management of the courts»

- Cost analysis of court processes (by determing cost elements and drivers) - Cost accounting model configured in Microstrategy – a BA tool integrated with

accounting software allows for continuous analysis and modelling of process reengineering

- Cost optimization options evaluated- Initial analysis done for 8 selected pilot Courts

- Current activity status – Implementation to be finalized by May 31, 2013.



Activity 4: «Improve effectiveness of court procedures»

- Focus to shorten court procedures time and implement new e-services.

- Implementation of a newly developed Court Organizational Handbook to streamline the effectiveness of the whole legal process in general by sharing best practice of court organization.

- Development of implementation plan.

- Implementation completed.



Activity 3 and 4: Focus Areas

– e-Services, e-Case;– Standardized customer service, one-stop-agency;– Extensive use of videoconferencing;– Specialized courts;– Optimize workload across courts (modelling tool).


Part 3: e-Services

Activities 5 and 6: «Improve direct access to the courts through use of new technologies», «Improve information and service delivery to the inhabitants and business»

• There are 140 new information boards supplied to coarts• 46 new electronic kiosks have been installed with a deployed

portal www.tiesas.lv and central management• 85 additional seats equiped with document scanner

infrastructure (to process court applications in paper form)

• Implementation completed.

http://www.tiesas.lv/


Part 3: e-Services


• Modernization of Court Information System to process electronic documents and services– New design (dat input forms), database platform, new functionality – process electronic

documents, new data exchange interfaces with external registers (Transport Register, State Revenue Service, State Land Register, Landbooks, Register of Criminal Offenses)

• Development of court application forms – Application forms (71) to be submitted electronically or in paper form.

• Development of a complex Intranet solution for Courts, Landbook offices and Court Administration needs (~2500 internal users)– Electronic processing of vacation requests, material and equipment requisitions, IT

problems etc.


Part 3: e-Services


• Portal www.tiesas.lv– Development of a new portal - data dissamination

system to provide easy access for both private persons and representatives of legal entities and state institutions to online e-documents (Court decisions, court case e-documents), as well as additional functionality for submitting court application forms, monitoring of court proceedings, automatic anonimization of court decisions, advocate calendar, advanced search for court decisions, court statistics etc.)


• Access to www.tiesas.lv both for authorised and unauthorized users



• Submitt or fill-in electronic application forms online


• Calendar for advocates


• Monitor court proceedings process


• Anonimization of court decisions


• Advanced search options for court decisions


• Portal www.tiesas.lv updated with court statistics



Q&A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RX8njsV8q0c#!

Court Modernization in Latvia Annual meeting, 2013 Modernization of Courts in Latvia.

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