This seminar presentation examines the ritual dynamics of virtual court hearings.

While audio-visual links for select court participants have been available for decades, in a virtual hearing all parties participate using a videoconferencing platform. Such hearings have proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic, as courts around the world have rushed to develop remote justice options. Scholars and legal professionals have expressed a range of concerns about this development, not least that there are elements of physical courtroom rituals that cannot be rendered virtually.

Drawing on two recent empirical examinations of virtual courts, Meredith explores what these hearings look and feel like for participants. She focuses on the relationship between the material and symbolic elements of a court ritual and the meaning and experience of virtual co-presence. In some circumstances, traditional elements of court have been translated for a virtual space. In other ways, the ritual has been transformed. She concludes by discussing the limitations and potential of courts of the future.

About the Speaker

Meredith Rossner is Professor of Criminology at the Centre for Social Research & Methods at the ANU. Her research focuses on the role of emotions, rituals, the built environment, and technology in justice practices. This includes work on the emotional dynamics of restorative justice conferences between victims and offenders for serious crime, research on the micro-level dynamics of jury deliberation, the role of courtroom design on access to justice, and the use of video technology in courts.

This event will be delivered online via Zoom.

Image by Michael Blazewicz, supplied by Meredith Rossner

Register at the following link http://regnet.anu.edu.au/news-events/events/8255/remote-rituals-virtual-courts