Online Case Resolution Systems -  J.J. Prescott
Channel: UCIBrenICS
Date: 2016-05-14

Friday Informatics Seminar with J.J. Prescott, Professor of Law, Professor of Economics (courtesy), Co-director, Empirical Legal Studies Center, Co-director, Program in Law and Economics
University of Michigan 

Recorded Friday, May 13, 2016

Lecture Title:  Online Case Resolution Systems: Enhancing Access, Fairness, Accuracy, and Efficiency

Abstract:  Online case resolution (OCR) systems have the potential to dramatically increase access to our justice system. Part I introduces the concept of an OCR system, how it works, and its impact on courts and citizens. Part II argues that OCR systems can reduce many of the barriers to going to court by reducing the need for face-to-face resolution and the amount of time needed for hearings; mitigating confusion and fear; allowing asynchronous scheduling that can accommodate work or child care schedules; and providing a more reliable and easier-to-use means for litigants to voice their views. These advantages should especially benefit those of lower socioeconomic status, who suffer disproportionately under the status quo. Part III contends that OCR systems need not compromise a judge’s or prosecutor’s decision-making process, but can actually enhance it. OCR systems can provide more, better, and easier-to-use information and, by removing a litigant’s appearance (race, gender, weight, etc.) from a judge’s consideration, can make outcomes less subject to implicit biases. 

Bio: J.J. Prescott's research interests revolve around criminal law, sentencing law and reform, employment law, and the dynamics of civil litigation, particularly settlement. Professor Prescott is the principal investigator of the U-M Online Court Project, which uses technology to help people facing warrants, fines, and minor charges resolve their disputes with the government and courts online and without the need to hire an attorney. Additional projects include: an examination of the ramifications of post-release sex offender laws, a study of the socio-economic consequences of criminal record expungement, an evaluation of the effects of prosecutorial discretion and decision-making on short- and long-term defendant outcomes, and an investigation into the nature and repercussions of partial settlements in civil litigation. Professor Prescott earned his JD, magna cum laude, in 2002 from Harvard Law School, where he was the treasurer (Vol. 115) and an editor of the Harvard Law Review. After clerking for the Hon. Merrick B. Garland on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, he went on to earn a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006.