Job students digitize criminal files en masse
After all, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne wants accessible justice, in which victims can consult their file digitally and no longer have to go to court for this. The minister came to visit and encourage the scanning job students in the registry of the Court of Kortrijk on Wednesday morning.
The emotional impact of a trial and the run-up to it is particularly great for many victims and surviving relatives. When the investigation is closed and they can view the criminal file, they often learn about certain confrontational cases for the first time. This may, for example, concern certain statements by the perpetrator about the victim or information from the autopsy report of a deceased loved one. Victims sometimes unwillingly relive very traumatic events by re-envisioning all the details. There is no doubt that viewing a file is a very drastic and even traumatizing event for many.
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Until recently, access to a file was only possible in the registry of the courts, an environment that was not very victim-friendly. Victims there are bound by opening hours and sometimes have to plow through voluminous files in large, cold public spaces with many other people present. It is not human and this does not benefit the processing process at all. It is possible to have a copy of the file taken, but it costs a lot of money. In the case of voluminous files, this quickly rose to amounts of 1,450 euros. Nor does this show much humanity for victims. In addition, paper also simply entails risks, because parts from files may be lost during viewing or become illegible over time.
Available on Just on web Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne wants to get rid of this substandard service. At the end of June, Justice launched the JustConsult application on www.justonweb.be, the central online gateway of Justice. Via this application, victims and other involved parties with the right to access can view their file digitally free of charge in their familiar environment, at their own pace. The files will be available as soon as the investigation is closed and the case can be referred to court. Access is of course secured and those involved must log in with their e-ID or Itsme account.