Scopus journal call for papers at tilburg University

Exploring the potential effects of communication technology in the criminal justice context
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a mass roll-out of the use of video links in criminal court rooms around the world. These criminal justice systems are now facing a fundamental question: how to
properly integrate technological advances as a permanent feature of post pandemic criminal justice?
While the potential advantages of remote justice seem to be clear (such assaving costs and maximizing
efficiency), the rapid developments raise all kinds of theoretical and practical questions. New
technological possibilities and their embedding in the legal system are not always straightforward. The
impact of remote justice on procedural fairness is an ambiguous matter. Traditionally, fair trial concepts
such as presence, effective participation and assistance of a lawyer are without a doubt affected by
remote participation but how and to what extent is not (yet) clear. Also, we still know very little about
whether and how the use of technology indeed affects effective communication in the courtroom. Does
it – for example – affect the possibility to empathize with a defendant and to read nonverbal cues? And
what does this mean for the procedural fairness as experienced by the defendant and the victim? In
the post pandemic era, there is an urgent need for more understanding in these matters which –
without a doubt – will require taking a multidisciplinary approach. In this special issue we welcome
papers dealing with the issues mentioned above from a philosophical, legal and/or a social science
perspective (interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged).
As for definitions: the term remote justice is used here to cover all situations where one or more
participants attend(s) a hearing from a remote location via video link or using other means of
communication technology. Contributions may also deal with virtual justice (proceedings where all
participants attend online).
Timeline and other practical matters
Maximum length of papers: 10.000 words, including footnotes.
Closing date for manuscript submission: December 31, 2023.
For questions do not hesitate to get in touch with the guest editors of this special issue, dr. P.
(Pauline) Jacobs ([email protected]) and dr. D. (Dorris) de Vocht
([email protected]).
Tilburg Law Review is a double-blind peer reviewed and open access law journal embedded in the
Tilburg Law School, the Netherlands, consistently ranked as a top law school in the Netherlands and
internationally