The ‘fundamentally faulty’ computer software of the new £300 million court IT system is causing crucial trial information to vanish or be altered, according to the court’s staff.
Common Platform is allegedly altering data such as pleas and case outcomes.
In one instance, information regarding a driving disqualification was updated.
Some court personnel are on strike due to a “fundamentally defective” system.
According to court employees, a £300 million IT system “threatens justice” because “fundamentally defective” software causes crucial information to disappear or change.
Legal counsel has issued a warning that the Common Platform system reportedly modifies case-related data, such as pleas and outcomes.
One court employee expressed surprise to the BBC that a driving ban that had been entered correctly into the system had changed.
James, a legal advisor for the magistrates’ court, stated on BBC Radio 4’s File on 4 Programme that he entered a man’s driving restriction into Common Platform, but when he returned to view it later, it had been altered.
Legal counsel has issued a warning that the Common Platform system reportedly modifies case-related data, such as pleas and outcomes. (Stock picture)
He stated to the BBC, “The results that appeared on Common Platform were not those that we enforced.”
If we had not remembered the case, it would have been overlooked.
This person would not have been disqualified and would have remained on the road, posing a threat to others.
Some court employees have deemed the IT system to be “fundamentally faulty,” despite the government’s assertion that there is no proof justice is being compromised.
Other employees have spoken of instances in which information, such as pleas and case outcomes, has vanished from the system.
According to the File on 4 show, there was yet another situation in which a prisoner was compelled to remain in prison for days longer than they should have.
Common Platform was implemented across 136 courts in England and Wales in 2020, having been designed to replace an obsolete software system.
The remaining 40% of courts that do not now use Common Platform will do so by early next year.
Common Platform enables judges, attorneys, the CPS, and courts to access case information in a centralized location.
According to the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union, the courts service has disregarded warnings concerning the IT system’s flaws.
From September 10-18, legal advisors and court associates are scheduled to engage in industrial action over the use of Common Platform.
Some court employees have chosen to go on strike over the “fundamentally defective” Common Platform information technology system. (Stock picture)
According to the PCS Union, the strike was prompted by the courts service’s failure to address the system’s “poor impact on members’ health, safety, and wellbeing.”
They also criticized the expansion of Common Platform and said that the courts service had misled members about the effectiveness of the £300 million project.
A spokeswoman for HM Courts and Tribunal Service stated, “Common Platform is important to modernizing the court system, replacing obsolete technologies that are no longer fit for purpose and freeing up court workers to focus on the job where they can provide the most value.”
Common Platform has effectively managed over 158,000 criminal cases, and there is no evidence that it compromises justice or puts parties at danger.
“We will continue to work closely with employees to assist them during this transition, and we would want to thank all the judges, court personnel, and others who contributed to its design and execution.”
Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which represents barristers in England and Wales, demonstrating outside the Old Bailey in central London in June, on the first of several days of court walkouts by CBA members over legal aid funding.
As a result of the pandemic, court backlogs have caused some victims to wait up to five years for a court hearing.
In April of this year, the backlog of crown court trials was at 58,271, and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab recently blamed barristers’ strike action for worsening the situation.
Criminal Bar Association (CBA) members have been on strike every other week and have voted in favor of an indefinite, continuous strike.
According to Ministry of Justice data, more than 6,000 court sessions have been impacted by the conflict over the terms and costs imposed by the government for legal aid advocacy work.