2021年刑事程序法發展回顧：刑事司法數位化的新篇──遠距視訊審理與司法聯盟鏈

Developments in the Law in 2021: Criminal Procedure Law-Digitization of Criminal Justice System: Remote, Video Conferencing Trials and Consortium Blockchain of Justice

刑事司法系統數位化（尤其是刑事法院審理程序的數位化）的討論由來已久，主要包括：能否以刑事被告線上參與的方式進行審判的「審理數位化」議題；當審理數位化，法庭公開是否應隨之數位化的「公開數位化」議題；以及法院應如何處理數位證據的「證據數位化」議題。這些議題都在2021年有了明顯的進展。 為了因應疫情期間的司法程序進行需要，「傳染病流行疫情嚴重期間司法程序特別條例」於2021年6月施行，條例中有許多關於法院應如何進行遠距視訊審理的規定，並且對於進行數位化審理程序時應遵守的原則，包括應得被告同意、應維持公開審理等均做出明確的規範。而在2021年12月，由法務部等5個司法機構共同創建的「司法聯盟鏈」正式對外發表，將區塊鏈技術應用於刑事證據保存與監管的領域，成為我國刑事司法系統數位化的里程碑。區塊鏈技術的各種應用可能性，勢必對於刑事程序的發展發生深遠影響。 刑事司法系統加速數位化，是2021年我國刑事程序領域發生的大事，本文即回顧此一主題，並以分別討論刑事法院審理的「審理數位化」、「公開數位化」與「證據數位化」3項子題的角度切入，梳理這些議題發展的脈絡，呈現出我國刑事司法系統數位化的基礎架構。

There has been an ongoing discussion regarding the digitalization of criminal justice system, particularly the digitalization of criminal court procedures. The specific topics include “digitalization of trial procedures”, i.e., whether criminal trials can proceed with the online participation of parties and other participants; “digitalization of public trial”, i.e., whether criminal trials should be broadcast by media or online; and “digitalization of evidence”, i.e., how courts should deal with digital evidence. These issues of digitalization made huge advances in 2021, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To accommodate the need for a new judicial procedure during the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Special Judicial Procedural Code Applied During Outbreaks of Serious Contagious Diseases” took effect in June 2021. In this Special Code, there are rules providing how courts can proceed with remote and videoconferencing trials, including clear regulations about the requirement of criminal defendants’ consent to adopt the digital format of their trial, and about the maintenance of public access to trials. Also in 2021, the Ministry of Justice, with four other criminal judicial institutes, announced that they formed the “Consortium Blockchain of Justice”, which applies blockchain technology to criminal evidence conservation. The formation of this blockchain is a milestone in the criminal justice system’s digitalization. Various applications of blockchain technology will have a deep influence on the development of Taiwan’s criminal procedures. The acceleration of the criminal justice system’s digitalization, in 2021, is a particularly significant development in Taiwan’s criminal procedures. This article therefore reviews the digitalization of the criminal justice system that happened in 2021. Three subtopics will be addressed: “digitalization of trial procedures”, “digitalization of public trials”, and “digitalization of evidence”. This article shows how the developments in these fields advance the digitalization of Taiwan’s criminal courts, and how these advances establish the infrastructure for Taiwan’s further digitalization in the criminal justice system.