Courts worldwide are under pressure from growing caseloads, limited resources, workforce shortages, and rising public expectations. The COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s exacerbated these challenges, with many courts facing massive backlogs and delayed proceedings.
In the US, 79% of judges and court professionals report that hearing delays affect their dockets — a backlog that can delay justice for victims and defendants alike. At the same time, public confidence in the judicial system has eroded to record lows (only 35% of Americans expressed confidence in the courts in 2024), highlighting the urgent need for modernization.
In response, court administrators and clerks are increasingly adopting digital solutions, particularly those enabling self-service, to help them streamline processes, increase transparency, and improve access to justice.
This article explores current court challenges and how self-service software and kiosk solutions can help overcome them.
friendlyway Luminum 43 kiosk for courts
Main Challenges Faced by Modern Courts
Courts face numerous operational challenges. Below are some of the most pressing issues court clerks and administrators must address:
Backlogs and delays in case processing
Many courts are overwhelmed with caseloads, causing long wait times for hearings and trial dates. Litigants, lawyers, and clerks waste valuable time tracking case details, waiting for status updates, and submitting documents, ultimately delaying proceedings.
Human error in managing case records
Paper records are prone to loss, damage, or misplacement. Manual entry of case data and decisions increases the risk of errors, including handwritten record misinterpretation. Such mistakes can lead to wrongful judgments and unnecessary retrials.
Limited transparency and accountability
Without digital access, litigants must depend on clerks for case updates, reducing transparency. The lack of an automated system and secure digital trail also makes sensitive documents vulnerable to tampering, theft, and destruction in fires.
High administrative costs
Paper-based operations require printing, physical storage, and additional clerical staff for record maintenance and retrieval, increasing court expenses. Manually processing fees, fines, and filings also adds to administrative costs and time spent handling routine tasks.
Barriers to access to justice
People with disabilities or those in remote areas face barriers to accessing judicial services. Without digital solutions, they must physically visit courthouses and meet with personnel for case status updates, inquiries, filings, or payments, which is time-consuming and inconvenient.
Poor coordination among judicial stakeholders
Lawyers, clerks, defendants, and law enforcement agencies struggle to share information efficiently due to reliance on paper documents and manual communication. This lack of coordination can lead to missed deadlines, misplaced files, and unnecessary adjournments.
Inability to adapt to modern legal needs
Many courts rely on slow, outdated processes instead of e-filing, digital case tracking, handling digital evidence, processing online payments, and providing remote legal services and virtual consultations. As a result, citizens perceive the courts as unresponsive to their legal needs.
These challenges compound each other: erroneous records worsen backlogs, while high costs and delays limit access to justice. To address them, courts are increasingly exploring technological solutions for modernizing judicial administration.
In particular, software tools and self-service hardware devices are emerging as game-changers for court operations.
Software Solutions for Overcoming These Challenges
Courts are leveraging various software solutions to enhance efficiency and transparency. Key solutions include:
- Case management systems. Case management software solutions provide courts with a centralized platform to efficiently track cases, schedule hearings, and manage legal documents online, ensuring accurate record-keeping. JusticeONE® is one example of a comprehensive platform providing integrated case management for municipal courts.
- Electronic document filing (e-filing). E-filing systems enable attorneys and litigants to submit documents electronically, reducing paper waste and administrative workload. They can include kiosks with scanning capabilities to allow self-represented litigants to submit documents digitally.
- AI-powered legal assistance. AI-driven virtual assistants can offer legal information, case updates, and procedural guidance. AI-powered chatbots integrated into kiosks or online portals help answer frequently asked questions, minimizing clerical intervention.
- Virtual court hearings. The adoption of video conferencing solutions has made it easier for courts to conduct hearings remotely, reducing litigants’ travel time and improving scheduling efficiency.
- Online payment systems. These allow users to pay fees, fines, and bail without waiting in line, reducing congestion at payment counters. For example, self-service court kiosks can include integration with the JusticeONE® online payment portal, allowing users to look up their case or citation and pay fines on the spot via credit card.
friendlyway court kiosks offer access to JusticeONE® online payment portal
These digital solutions are most effective when integrated. For example, e-filing automatically syncs with a case management system, which schedules virtual hearings. After the hearing, an online portal allows defendants to pay fines instantly. By digitizing each step, courts create a seamless, end-to-end process.
However, software alone is not a panacea; its success depends on proper implementation and widespread user adoption. This is where self-service kiosks and tablets come into play, bridging the gap between the public and these digital services inside courthouse facilities.
Role of Self-Service Kiosks and Tablets in Courts
Courts are increasingly deploying kiosks and tablets/signature pads to provide direct access to digital tools. Rather than waiting in line, visitors can use interactive touchscreen devices for routine tasks.
Here, we explore how kiosks and tablets help courts tackle the challenges above.
Streamlining court check-ins
Visitor registration and check-in are typical functions of courthouse kiosks. Arriving visitors can check in via a kiosk, which instantly notifies the appropriate courtroom, eliminating the need for paper sign-ins or clerks. The result is shorter lines and wait times.
friendlyway’s court kiosks offer similar features — upon arrival, guests can self-register by finding their case or citation, instantly access case schedules, and check-in for their hearing at a lobby kiosk.
Enhancing document handling
Self-service kiosks and tablets act as public interfaces for court digital systems. With interactive kiosks, users can quickly submit electronic filings, retrieve documents, and print necessary forms.
Modern court kiosks are often equipped with peripherals like scanners and printers for this purpose. Importantly, electronic records update instantly, eliminating delays from manual scanning.
Increasing transparency
Kiosks and digital displays enhance public access to court information, improving transparency. Many courthouses use lobby kiosks for schedules, wayfinding, and procedural information.
For example, friendlyway’s solutions include court information display systems and wayfinding kiosks — these provide real-time maps, directories, and docket information to help visitors navigate the courthouse.
Reducing administrative costs and workloads
Each task handled by a kiosk reduces clerical workload and operational costs. For court administrators facing budget constraints, kiosks function like tireless clerks without payroll costs. Routine transactions can all be offloaded to self-service stations.
Kiosks also operate beyond normal business hours, effectively extending service hours without the cost of night shifts. friendlyway’s court kiosks, for instance, allow visitors to make payments or retrieve documents even during evenings or weekends.
Improving access to justice for all
One of the most important benefits of self-service technology is broadening access for those who might otherwise struggle to use court services. Kiosks can be placed in libraries or community centers to reach people closer to home.
Multilingual and ADA-compliant kiosks help non-native speakers and individuals with disabilities to navigate legal processes independently.
Facilitating better coordination among judicial stakeholders
Because kiosks interface with various backend systems, they can serve as hubs that connect the once-siloed functions. For instance, a kiosk at a courthouse entrance might integrate with security and ID verification systems. As a defendant checks in at a kiosk, the system can notify the courtroom clerk and issue a visitor badge that grants access through a turnstile.
Kiosks and tablets streamline information sharing among clerks, judicial officers, and security.
Supporting modern legal practices and digital integration
Self-service technology is central to court modernization. By embracing digital tools, courts send a message that they are keeping up with the times. Courtroom tablets and signature pads support a paperless environment, where attorneys can submit electronic exhibits and even have clients sign documents on the spot.
friendlyway’s courtroom tablets enable secure digital document signing by defendants, attorneys, and clerks during proceedings, eliminating the need for paper exchanges.
Of course, implementing these solutions is not without challenges. Court administrators must consider several practical issues and pitfalls when rolling out self-service tech. Next, we discuss some potential limitations and strategies for successful deployment.
Limitations and Issues in Implementing Self-Service Technology
Court clerks must anticipate and address the following challenges:
Initial costs
Budget constraints are often the first hurdle. Commercial-grade kiosks, tablets, and integrated software platforms require an upfront investment. Choosing the right vendor and solution that fits the court’s needs (without overpaying for extraneous features) is part of mitigating cost concerns. A pilot program can demonstrate the value and help secure additional funding.
User adoption challenges
“If you build it, will they come?” Many people are used to lining up at a window to speak to a clerk and might be hesitant to use a machine instead. Education and encouragement are key to driving adoption. Clear signage helps, e.g., “Skip the line — use our easy Check-In Kiosk!” Some kiosks offer an option for visitors to get assistance from a live clerk via video chat. Additionally, user interfaces must be simple and intuitive.
Data privacy concerns
Courts handle sensitive personal data and confidential case information. Any digital system, including kiosks and tablets, must protect this data in compliance with relevant regulations. Kiosks should enforce user authentication and data encryption while being physically secure and monitored. Devices should have a secure browser lockdown to restrict access to specific websites and features.
Integration with legacy systems
Courts rarely have the luxury of building their IT systems from scratch — they must integrate new technology with what is already in place. It’s important to choose experienced vendors with court integration expertise. Still, from the administrator’s perspective, expect some headaches aligning new and old tech — a necessary growing pain on the path to modernization.
Potential technical failures
Any tech deployment comes with the risk of outages or malfunctions, and courts must plan for those. Having a backup plan is crucial. For example, if one kiosk or tablet fails, have at least one other available, or be ready to revert to paper temporarily. Regular maintenance and monitoring of kiosks can catch issues early, while ongoing technical support will ensure they are resolved with minimal downtime.
Thus, while self-service technology offers great benefits, court administrators must navigate different challenges to implement it successfully. Recognizing and addressing these limitations early will pave the way for a smoother rollout.
Best Practices for Successful Implementation
Introducing self-service kiosks and digital systems in a courthouse requires strategic planning and management. Below are best practices drawn from courts that have implemented such systems, to help ensure that your self-service initiative delivers on its promise.
1. Conduct stakeholder consultations
Before choosing or installing any self-service technology, it’s critical to consult stakeholders: judges, clerks, IT staff, attorneys, security officers, and sometimes even the public (through surveys or focus groups). Each group can provide valuable insights. By getting buy-in early, you also pave the way for smoother adoption — people are more supportive of changes they had a voice in shaping.
2. Ensure compliance with legal and security standards
Courts operate in a highly regulated environment. Any new technology must comply with judicial rules, privacy laws, and security requirements. Compliance isn’t just a legal box-checking exercise — it directly affects accessibility and usability. Offering multiple languages ensures accessibility in diverse communities.
3. Provide user training programs
Even the best technology can fail if users are not properly educated. Internal staff should thoroughly learn how the kiosks work before guiding others. For the public, consider a soft launch where staff or volunteers in the lobby actively invite people to try the kiosk and help them step-by-step. Another effective tool is creating short tutorial videos or demonstrations showing how to use the kiosk for common tasks.
4. Integrate self-service kiosks with existing digital platforms
Kiosks should be tightly integrated with the court’s existing digital infrastructure: case management system, payment processing system, document management system, notification/email system, etc. friendlyway’s approach of being natively integrated with a platform like JusticeONE® is an ideal model — it means the kiosk isn’t a standalone add-on, but an extension of the core system.
5. Establish ongoing maintenance and support
Finally, the implementation doesn’t end at launch; it enters a continuous improvement phase. Regular maintenance tasks include updating software, servicing hardware, and monitoring performance. Plan for content updates, and continuously analyze usage data and feedback. Courts operate on long timelines, so we want these tech investments to serve us well for years — which they will if cared for properly.
Follow these best practices — from planning inclusively to maintaining diligently — and your self-service technology rollout will be much more likely to achieve its desired outcomes.
Future of Self-Service Technology in the Judicial System
The modern courthouse is evolving, and self-service kiosks and tablets are key to that transformation. Early results show self-service technology addresses many long-standing court challenges. It helps cut down case backlogs, bring much-needed transparency, expand access to justice, and reduce administrative burdens and costs through automation.
Surveys of court professionals show a growing confidence in technology’s role in court operations and a recognition that continued investment is critical. As more success stories emerge, it becomes clear that the widespread adoption of self-service technology in courts is not just a tech upgrade. It represents a cultural shift in how justice is delivered.
Discover how modern technology can reduce wait times, enhance access to services, and improve the overall court experience.
Looking ahead, the future of self-service kiosks in the judicial system appears very promising. We can envision a day when virtually every routine court interaction — whether filing a small claim, checking a hearing schedule, paying a fee, or even attending a preliminary hearing via video — can be done online or at a convenient kiosk in the community.
Court clerks and administrators who champion these innovations drive meaningful change that benefits the courts internally and, more importantly, the public they serve. Courts embracing these tools uphold their fundamental promise — to provide timely, fair justice — now enhanced by the best modern technology.
