Digitalisation efforts of the Jordanian judiciary in criminal proceedings

Working group meeting in Amman: Digitalisation efforts within criminal proceedings and evaluation of the project with participants from the Jordanian Ministry of Justice and Judicial Council.
Working group meeting in Amman: Digitalisation efforts within criminal proceedings and evaluation of the project with participants from the Jordanian Ministry of Justice and Judicial Council.
Jordan

The last working group meeting was held on 5 and 6 December 2023 in Amman, marking the conclusion of the Federal Foreign Office-funded project "Promoting legal certainty: Supporting criminal law reforms in Jordan (2020-2023)".

The focus of the first day of the seminar was on the digitalisation efforts of the Jordanian judiciary to increase the efficiency of Jordanian criminal proceedings.

Electronic criminal file, artificial intelligence

The German working group of the project presented the efforts of the judiciary to digitalise its investigative work and its practical implementation in Germany. The focus here was on electronic criminal files and the use of artificial intelligence. They discussed how the latter can be used in criminal proceedings in order to achieve an increase in efficiency in court proceedings, for example in the case of class actions with similar or identical facts.

Digital documentation in criminal proceedings

The speakers also discussed the digital documentation of the main criminal trial and current developments in the German draft of a main trial documentation law.

Mizan" system

The Jordanian speakers presented the current status of the digitalisation of their criminal proceedings and explained the "Mizan" system. This is a digital platform with which members of the judiciary can work and which is intended to speed up court proceedings.

Review of the project results

The second day of the working group meeting was dedicated to evaluating project implementation since 2020. The final recommendations of the German experts were made on the basis of international comparative law standards and taking into account the needs formulated by the Jordanian cooperation partners and participants.

Seminar on juvenile detention in Amman

Participants in the seminar on juvenile detention held in November 2023.
Participants in the seminar on juvenile detention held in November 2023.
Jordan

The IRZ and the Jordanian Directorate of Public Security organised a seminar in Amman on 6 November 2023 on how to deal with detainees who are minors, and how to implement an effective penitentiary planning system.  The event was funded by the Federal Ministry of Justice within the framework of institutional support.

The Jordanian experts spoke, among others, on the topics of “Penalties in the Jordanian juvenile justice system” and “Transfer of persons from juvenile to adult penitentiary systems”. Jordan has courts, judges and prosecutors specifically for juveniles. If a suspended sentence is handed down, a report must be submitted to the court every three months. Jordanian juvenile criminal law places a particular focus on mediation to resolve conflicts. The speakers also addressed these aspects. The German team of experts presented the juvenile sentences in accordance with the German Youth Courts of Justice Law, and discussed the transfer of persons from juvenile to adult penitentiary systems in Germany. The German contingent also presented the structuring and creation of an enforcement and integration plan within the framework of the juvenile penitentiary system and the function of the juvenile court and probation service in Germany.

The participants discussed how the probation service deals with juvenile, violent perpetrators and juvenile addicts, and the differences that arise from the age limit of the juvenile penitentiary under German and Jordanian law, and also exchanged views on the similarities between the two systems. These include a focus on education and the importance of reintegration into society. Both of these aspects have a high priority in both the Jordanian and German juvenile penitentiary systems.

Study trip to Berlin by a Jordanian delegation to discuss “Increasing efficiency in criminal proceedings”

Delegation participants and Facility Director Ms. Anke Stein during the visit to the Moabit correctional facility.
Delegation participants and Facility Director Ms. Anke Stein during the visit to the Moabit correctional facility.
Jordan

Increasing efficiency in criminal proceedings was the focus of a study trip that the IRZ carried out in cooperation with the Jordanian Ministry of Justice and the Jordanian Judicial Council. The event enabled the participants to gain a deeper insight into German criminal proceedings. The trip is part of the project funded by the Federal Foreign Office entitled “Promotion of Legal Certainty: Support for Criminal Law Reforms in Jordan (2020-2023)”.

The Jordanian delegation consisted of representatives from the Jordanian Ministry of Justice, the Judicial Council and the Directorate of National Security, and was headed by His Excellency the Secretary General of the Jordanian Ministry of Justice, Dr. Saad Al Louzi, who came to Berlin from 18-22 September 2023 to visit various German judicial institutions and judicial authorities. The delegation was welcomed on the first day by a representative from the Jordanian Embassy in Berlin and the IRZ General Director, Dr. Frauke Bachler.

Sub-department Head Dr. Sebastian Jeckel received the delegation At the Federal Ministry of Justice. Speakers from the RB2 Department for Criminal Procedure gave insights into current comprehensive reform processes in the criminal justice system, particularly in the area of ​​digitalisation.

The participants also visited the Tiergarten Local Court and learned about the “court structure”, “court procedures”, “specialisation of criminal judges”, and exchanged views on the current challenges in criminal courts.

The schedule was rounded off by a visit to the social services of the Senate Department for Justice and Consumer Protection. The focus here was to discuss court and probation services. The topic of alternative punishments was of particular interest to the Jordanian delegation, as alternative punishments are being increasingly used in Jordan to relieve the overcrowding in prisons. In addition, the visit to the Moabit correctional facility gave the participants an insight into the structure of pre-trial detention and how to deal with overcrowding. The delegation also had an opportunity to gain an insight into the prison cells, exercise yard and the communal areas.

The study trip concluded with an expert talk on the working methods and areas of responsibility of the German Federal Bar (BRAK). In this context, the BRAK explained the competencies of a criminal and public defender.

Two further measures during the year will build on the content explored in the study trip.

The IRZ would like to thank the German institutions and authorities for the friendly and instructive reception and thanks the delegation participants for the goal-oriented exchange and successful cooperation, and is looking forward to future seminars.