The COVID-19 pandemic brought attention to injustices throughout society, especially in the areas of education, health care, and judicial services. Yet, it also accelerated the ways technology can bring people and communities together. Cisco employees are addressing the former with the latter—using technology to deliver government services to the people and erase barriers that have stymied participation for many.

Matthew Dietz, global government strategist at Cisco, understands the challenge. "I was participating in a hearing in which the defendant was incarcerated because he didn't appear for his initial hearing. The reason he didn't appear was because he had to make a choice between missing work and losing his job, or appearing in court," Matthew recalls. "He literally had to choose between feeding his family or showing up to court. That's a decision no one should ever have to make."

The need to work is not the only obstacle to equitable justice—the need for childcare, access to transportation, and other personal and family matters can put the legal system out of reach. By working with the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), Cisco is using its technology to remove those impediments through a pilot program that gives people the ability to participate from home or work. 

There's another benefit that many didn't anticipate—technology is humanizing the court experience. For example, a child can participate in a hearing remotely and avoid the trauma of being in the courtroom. Family members do not have to see their loved ones in correctional facility uniforms. "We've heard from inmates, attorneys and families saying, 'This is the way it's supposed to be,'" Matthew says. 

The pilot program's approach offers not only a more accessible experience, but it also has been secure and reliable enough to present future possibilities. "This pilot is the start of something bigger. We're showing what's possible and starting to open the minds of judges, lawyers, and politicians on how technology can change the experience for the citizens in the judicial space and beyond," Matthew says.

"Beyond" could include resources from education, health care, mental health care, and more. "We're unifying all of these different resources and organizations into a very focused and concerted effort to bring and simplify access to these services," Matthew explains. "It's about having a collaborative, unique, humanistic experience—on top of the security and connectivity—and wrapping it together in a very unified set of solutions."

Agencies across the United States and the world are using the power of Cisco to meet the demands of the future, offering a more equitable, and connected justice system.