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NZ Criminal Record May Soon Be A Click Away
Finding out someone's criminal history could soon be as easy as clicking a button, under major changes to improve public access to court documents.
Justice Minister Judith Collins told the Sunday Star-Times the current system, where people often have to apply in writing to the courts for access to information, is "completely insane".
She wants all decisions online once the courts have completed a move to an electronic operating model next year. The documents would effectively act as a public register of criminals and improve public safety, she said.
It would also make the court process more open.
"If a matter is heard in open court that anyone can attend, why is it the next day they strangely can't access that information? People have a right to know about what goes on in their courts."
Collins accepts some groups will "scream and cry" about the plan, but believes there is overwhelming public interest in making the information available.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said work on Collins' proposal had begun, but it was early days.
"It is a complex piece of work and we are currently looking at what IT is needed to support it. We also need to develop a robust system to remove suppressed information from judgments before they are published."
Court of Appeal and nearly all Supreme Court and High Court decisions since 2005 are published online. The public can apply in writing to receive a copy of a District Court judgment. However, a lot of criminal decisions are recorded, but not transcribed unless they are needed for official purposes, largely because of a lack of resources.
Collins has an ally in Chief District Court Judge Jan-Marie Doogue who believes it is important the public understand the reasoning behind court decisions.
"We welcome any development which would enable the decisions of the District Court to be available in a timely fashion," Doogue said.
"This would enable transparency and accountability."
Media Freedom committee member Clive Lind said Collins' plan would be a great way of getting information about court proceedings into the public domain. "What we do at the moment doesn't make sense with today's technology."
The Sensible Sentencing Trust is also excited about the changes, which it believes are long overdue. It was often a battle for victims to get hold of information, spokeswoman Ruth Money said.
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