History Main / ComputerizedJudicialSystem

* On March 2019, UsefulNotes/{{Esthonia}} [[https://www.wired.com/story/can-ai-be-fair-judge-court-estonia-thinks-so/ announced]] AI would be used to adjudicate small claims (''i.e.'' below €7,000, or about $8,000).

* In 2006, [[http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2006/09/china_does_guid.html a Chinese court]] used a software program to helm them to decide prison sentences.

** A "judgement machine" was also referred to in Blake's civilian trial in the pilot episode, "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS1E1TheWayBack The Way Back]]".

** Possibly a reference to ''MaxHeadroom'', see above.

** Add some floppy disks, and ''MaxHeadroom'' (see above) would be TruthInTelevision.

Societies in the future, particularly in older media or modern works with elements of {{Retraux}}, are sometimes depicted as having a computerized justice system. Part of the use of this trope is for shock value (to modern audiences accustomed to more humanistic values underlying their familiar legal systems); the other part of it is to reinforce that the setting is either TheFuture, TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, another planet, an AlternateUniverse, or some other futuristic or otherworldly setting. Occasionally, a variant will even show up in the PresentDay. Sometimes, but not always, a symptom of a futuristic KangarooCourt, as computers can be programmed by human beings to distort the truth or cover up. (Modern consensus is that a truly computerized justice system is unlikely; judges have to puzzle through difficult legal reasoning that often depends heavily on experience, "common sense", and a sense of justice, while juries also rely heavily on common sense and experience with human beings to figure out if other human beings are trustworthy. A computer that could replicate this would probably be an AI so sophisticated it wouldn't be worth bothering to build it.)

** A "judgement machine" was also referred to in Blake's civilian trial in the pilot episode, "The Way Back."
* In a rare subversion, in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Court Martial," the ''USS Enterprise'' computer is used to prove Kirk's innocence (trials in the Federation typically being conducted by sentient organic beings, not computers).

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial "The Stones of Blood" features the Megara, Justice Machines who take the place of judge, jury and executioner and can MindProbe witnesses to be certain of the truth. They frequently converse with each other during the trial in machine code and regard the involvement of actual organics in the judicial process as a tedious necessity.
** "The Keys of Marinus," a First Doctor story, had something similar in the Conscience of Marinus.
* The ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Emohawk: Polymorph II" featured a robotic Space Corps Enforcement Orb who had been tracking the crew and ''Starbug'' for some time on charges of looting and illegal salvage. Due to the distance from formal legal proceedings Enforcement Orbs are empowered to pass judgment and mete sentence (death in this case) on the spot.
** "Justice" featured a space station that was a prison. The station was administered by The Justice Computer, who {{mind probe}}d everyone entering to determine if they were hiding a criminal act and immediately rendered judgement on them.

* One of [[TimAndEricAwesomeShowGreatJob Tim and Eric's]] many [[ParodyCommercial mock products]] from [[MegaCorp Cinco]] is "e-Trial", a software application that enables users to give themselves a trial from their home computer. Defendants click icons to select relevant pieces of evidence and portraits of virtual jurors, submit a plea, then receive a legally-binding verdict straight from the computer screen.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'', Orendi's discipline hearing in one of her lore challenges was presided by a Magnus named Gendarme. The hearing however ends up as a chaotic mess as Orendi immediately starts attacking everyone and everything upon entering. As Orendi causes more and more damage, the Hon. Gendarme becomes too preoccupied with updating on the fly the list of charges against Orendi to do anything else. The recording of this incident then comes to an end with Orendi having destroyed Gendarme's remote access node.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'', Orendi's discipline hearing in one of her lore challenges was presided by a Magnus named Gendarme. The hearing however ends up as a chaotic mess as Orendi immediately starts attacking everyone and everything upon entering. As Orendi causes more and more damage, the Hon. Gendarme becomes too preoccupied with updating on the fly the list of charges against Orendi to do anything else. Orendi then comes around and destroys Gendarme's remote access node.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'', Orendi's discipline hearing in one of her lore challenges was presided by a Magnus named Gendarme. The hearing however ends up as a chaotic mess as Orendi immediately starts attacking everyone and everything upon entering. As Orendi causes more and more damage, the Hon. Gendarme becomes too preoccupied with updating on the fly the list of charges against Orendi to do anything else. Orendi then comes around to destroy Gendarme's remote access node.

* There has been some serious talk about utilizing AIs in the future to prelitigate cases to see if they can be thrown out or if they can proceed to court, as the speed and knowledge of an actual {=AI=} could make this determination in a very short period of time. In the U.S., where the deliberation and actual court case take considerable time, some courts are backlogged by ''years''.

* Narrowly averted in ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger'', where, when a criminal is confronted, the computer compiles all the relevant information and sends it to a judge, who then hands down a verdict. Its American counterpart ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'' plays it straight by having the Rangers' equipment determine the guilt or innocence of the accused itself, but at least they only issue arrest warrants and don't hand out death sentences like ''Dekaranger'' does.

* One time DaveBarry got a ticket for driving around with an expired registration. When he arrived in court [[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-01-01/features/8902220467_1_traffic-court-judge-machine-guns he discovered that the "judge" was a VHS recording]], after which everyone was herded to the clerk to pay their fine. Granted it's just VHS and not an actual computer, but the principle holds.

* Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's Crystal Singer novel ''Killashandra''. Near the end of the book Killashandra's boyfriend Lars Dahl is given a computer-controlled trial for kidnapping her as well as other charges. She has forgiven him and wants him to be acquitted, but the Judicial Monitor computer's equipment reads her heightened vital signs, misinterprets them as her being afraid of him, and finds him guilty of one of the charges. Eventually he's cleared of the charge and he and Killashandra get back together.

* Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's Crystal Singer novel ''Killashandra''. Near the end of the book Killashandra's boyfriend Lars Dahl is given a computer-controlled trial for kidnapping her as well as other charges. She has forgiven him and wants him to be acquitted, but the Judicial Monitor computer's equipment mistakenly reads her as being afraid of him and finds him guilty of one of the charges. Eventually he's cleared of the charge and he and Killashandra get back together.

* [[AnneMcCaffrey Anne McCaffrey]]'s Crystal Singer novel ''Killashandra''. Near the end of the book Killashandra's boyfriend Lars Dahl is given a computer-controlled trial for kidnapping her as well as other charges. She has forgiven him and wants him to be acquitted, but the Judicial Monitor computer's equipment mistakenly reads her as being afraid of him and finds him guilty of one of the charges. Eventually he's cleared of the charge and he and Killashandra get back together.

* In ''BillTheGalacticHero'' by Creator/HarryHarrison, the titular character is arrested on the charges of dereliction of duty, as well as losing his map of the Imperial PlanetVille (a capital offense, mind you). He is brought before a court where jury members are robots pre-programmed to always find the defendant guilty. To everyone's shock, the robots acquit him... but only because they have just received orders to sent Bill to a hellhole planet.

* ''MaxHeadroom'', set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in a CrapsackWorld, featured computerized trials [[TechnologyMarchesOn on floppy disk!]]

* ''TheSimpsons'': When Homer's car is abandoned in New York City he calls in to challenge the tickets.

* In ''TheJetsons'' episode "Millionaire Astro", the Jetsons are involved in a custody battle with Astro's original owners. In court, the "jury" was a computer called the Jury-vac; it had 12 volume unit meters.

* ''StarFrontiers'' module [=SF1=] ''Volturnus, Planet of Mystery''. All of the laws of the Eorna civilization were entered into special computers. The computers control the robot police and act as judges in all civil and criminal cases.

Societies in the future, particularly in older media or modern works with elements of {{Retraux}}, are sometimes depicted as having a computerized justice system. Part of the use of this trope is for shock value (to modern audiences accustomed to more humanistic values underlying their familiar legal systems); the other part of it is to reinforce that the setting is either TheFuture, TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, another planet, an AlternateUniverse, or some other futuristic or otherworldly setting. Occasionally, a variant will even show up in the PresentDay. Sometimes, but not always, a symptom of a futuristic KangarooCourt, as computers can be programmed by human beings to distort the truth or cover up.